riverwild
Hypomania is a mild mania, which is often followed by mania. This is a symptom of bipolar and schizoaffective disorders. There is usually a feeling of euphoria, and hyperactivity. Hypomania is a very pleasant experience, unfortunately it doesn’t last long, and if isn’t controlled quickly, can turn into mania.
There is a feeling of wakefulness, and it feels like you can do anything. It comes on quickly. One day you just feel elated and alive. You want to do a thousand things. For me, I tend to just write a lot, and sleep little. It is a rare occurrence for me, so I just try to enjoy it until it goes away. It is rare on meds, since mood stabilizers do just that, stabilize moods.
It usually only lasts for a few hours to a few days, and then either progresses to mania, or fades away. On meds, it usually just goes away after a couple of days.
If it reaches the stage of mania, that can be bad. Delusions, hallucinations are often symptoms of mania, especially for those with a mood disorder. Risky behavior can also result, as you feel you can do anything.
My sister suffered from these manias from her bipolar disorder. It is really a struggle when working on trials of meds, when you feel better, you tend to stop taking them, then its mania in the wind, flying high, no fear, you can do or feel anything, power, then the crash. It’s real! My sister deceased five years ago.
This is a scary illness. Thank you for sharing the information.