View Full Version : Hypomania
Morning all,
Rise and shine! It's about 5am and time to start another Citalopram-enhanced day! 3 months on the little buggers now.
I'm hypomanic: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypomania
It feels really good. Getting a lot done. Not depressed at all. Making lots of plans. Social inhibition way down. Really happy without any real reason. It's spring, it's sunny and I'm alive. Not psychotic or delusional, just very up and self-confident.
I'm just not getting much bloody sleep. Feel "stretched' inside though - like I'm burning up my energy too fast. I've developed a real sweet tooth too, something I've never really had. Love the sugar rush from eating a sweet cake or drinking a glass of OJ.
Just thought I'd share this experience. I've got nowt else to do while I sit here waiting to get out of bed!
Tiger,
And a very good morning to you too! Hypomania mmmmm could do with a dose of that might help me with the Open University studies. What makes you think of hypomania though excessive requirements for sleep are atypical for the conditon.
Morning Tiger!!! Glad you feeling so good...inspirational to us all.....may it continue for you.
Jo.xx
@oneofus...
Well, possibly hypothymic then - but really I think a lot of this labelling of psychological conditions can only ever be approximate at best.
Each one of us is a unique individual and none of us are going to match a text book description exactly.
Actually went back to sleep at 6 for another hour, so not feeling too knackered yet.
Hi! I think hypomania applies to me too - when I get like it I'm like a storm, writing stories, clearing the house, washing my car, entertaining friends and family. It's like my IQ goes up 60 points; I can answer quiz-show questions when the presenter is only halfway through asking them, I understand things in an almost supernatural way. It's a great feeling. But for me it tends to either precede a very bad migraine, or in days gone by it would crash into a low mood for a few days.
Enjoy the productivity while you have it :D But try not to start things you know you won't finish, cos it will only stress you out!
Morning Tiger!!! Glad you feeling so good...inspirational to us all.....may it continue for you.
Jo.xx
"Morning Tiger"
That's what you used to say to me.
I feel so used.
Thanks PsychoPoet, good to hear from you. The Survival Guide was a real help when starting out on the Soma -- I mean Citalopram!
I have not yet had a really depressed episode since the Cit kicked in in Feb, and I was in bad shape at New Year. I do get a little down sometimes (like yesterday), but it is directly linked to mental/physical fatigue. After I sleep I'm ready to go again with a real buzz in my head. Love it. Hope it lasts.
I am such a morning person now it is amazing. I was so down before it is almost as though I have had a personality transplant. Think my partner and work colleagues must think I've been Body Snatched by the Pod People. Maybe I have... :ohmy:
Really believe that (for me at least) there is a close link between stress/anxiety and my depressive response to events. Think that by nailing the stress and anxiety with Cit, the depression has gone away as a natural consequence. Possibly increased serotonin, or decreased cortisol, who knows. Anyone who says that this drug is no more effective than a placebo has never tried it.
.... must think I've been Body Snatched by the Pod People. Maybe I have... :ohmy: ....
Mr/Ms/Dr Body Snatcher,
Pod People House,
Peas R'us,
Veggies green, RG19 6HW
currently offering refunds ....
SSRI's have been known to trigger full-blown manic episodes in people who have bi-polar tendencies, though citalopram is apparently more selective in it's targeting of serotonin neurotransmitters, as compared to the likes of sertraline and paroxetine. i had this experience on sertraline back in early 2003, when i started feeling better after a depressed episode, then started feeling really good, then started feeling too good (i think this is possible), then went on a tear, running up my credit cards, housing homeless people in my flat, etc.
i guess if one started feeling so good that consequences don't feel like they apply anymore, then talking to a gp about a mood stablizer might be wise. (or feeling so far above what you remember the baseline of "feeling good" was before getting depressed).
What you've also got to bear in mind is how good recovery feels after a period of feeling low or anxious. It's an amazing feeling of happiness and relief, a massive contrast to being on a downer, and it makes me tend to feel giddy and over-excited. It's just because I feel good after a period of feeling bad. Maybe that's all that's happening to other people in this thread. Thanks for the feedback, Tiger :)
Definitely, recovery feels wonderful. I am in the midst of this state of giddy recovery too. But since my other experience on an SSRI I tend to worry if this feeling good state will spiral too far, too much, too quickly. but, again, citalopram hasn't triggered a manic episode for me yet, 3+ years down the road. i guess i just worry for no reason at all, like we all do.
@jchild
Thanks for the feedback, and the warning. I can't really say that I am bipolar, but my moods did cycle in the past. I had periods of feeling this good, but they didn't last. My baseline was a low-level depression with periods of severe depression (staying in bed all weekend, very black thoughts etc - you can imagine).
I have not lost sight of consequences, and I'm still in control. If anything I think about problems more rationally and make better decisions because I'm not over-thinking or worrying about imaginary possible negative consequences. But if I did get any more "high", well I can see how that could be a problem. Sometimes my mind does race, and that is a bit uncomfortable.
Sorry to hear about your full manic episode. That must have been very scary for you. I have not read your other posts here, but I hope you are now making good progress.
Found this interview to be rather interesting...
http://www.youtube.com/verify_age?next_url=/watch%3Fv%3DN7k7--W0xFM
Carrie talks about how productive she is when she is in hypomanic mode. She's a lady with some real mental health issues. Her psychotic mania episodes sound really terrifying.
Hey, maybe I am just feeling normal and I've been miserable for my entire life until now.:ohmy:
Picking up on some of the stuff that's been said in this thread, I have read that the manic phase of bipolar disorder can be a massive boost to a person's creativity and confidence. Some of our greatest creative minds produced their best works during the manic phase of bipolar disorder.
My personal take on bipolar is that, far from being the type 1 and type 2 (IIRC) that the medical profession splits the illness into, I imagine there is a sliding scale, and people who tend to have mood swings but are NOT bipolar and NOT psychotic such as myself and other people in this thread, might score a low grade on that scale.
We're on the scale because we suffer from mood swings that are noticeable but mild and not induced by psychosis. When I say mild, I mean mild as compared to a full-blown case of bipolar disorder.
So it is possible, in my opinion, to suffer from a low-grade version of bipolar disorder which is so comparatively mild it would never be disgnosed as bipolar by a mental health practitioner. (If low scores counted as bipolar, a very large percentage of the human population would qualify as bipolar!)
I did used to get that fear that my good moods would spiral beyond control but I was never afraid I'd go psychotic or anything; I was terrified of the inevitable "crash" into depression and anxiety that ALWAYS followed. I would start dozens of new stories, but books and games when I already had too many, I'd spend a fortune modifying cars that were good enough as standard. I'd make plans, get involved with things. Then when the crash happened everything I'd started would stress me out and get pushed to one side. I have stories and novel ideas 10 years old.
However - in order to get better once and for all I have had to develop a strong control over my emotions. Thanks to medication, life experience and lots of practice at positive thinking, my mood swings are nowhere NEAR as bad. Instead of being huge waves, they are now smaller and gentler. There is no "crash" into a black mood.
The way I do this is to limit the new projects I start. I try to finish older ones. There is a lot of satisfaction in finally finishing a story that's been running through my brain for years. I also allow myself to window-shop for new cars and car mods but I refrain from buying them. It takes self-control! But I learned my lesson by getting into £6,600 of debt 3 years ago, when I didn't have a job!
It IS possible to have some control over mood swings. The aim is NOT to stop them, or to fear them; it's to know when they're coming and take adequate steps to make sure they don't leave you in shtuck. This is not only part of the recovery process, it's part of growing as a person (although some people would say these two are the same thing!).
On the Mend
15-07-10, 16:37
I understand totally what you mean from feeling 'too good' having had two manic episodes myself..
Both left me broke, homeless and I also invited strangers into the house.. Only for them to rob me blind..
The obviously the depression, guilt and anxiety sets in soon after..
Hope your all good now and all the best
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