What is a manic episode? It used to have a simplistic answer, it no longer does. More and more information has created new definitions; more and more information has adjusted old definitions and new relationships between mania and depression have created entirely new disorders.
Historically mania referred to any condition that had to do with bizarre behavior where the person was “up” or “happy” or “energetic.” The behavior had to last for a period of at least one week.
I was part of a manic depression support group in my city. I only went a couple of times because I was more depressed after I left than before I went but it was not a waste of time. Learning rarely is.
People got up and spoke about their conditions.
One man had basically not been able to sleep much for 30 days. Ultimately he started hearing voices and hallucinating. That is the worst type of manic episode. Of course he had to be hospitalized.
So when we define a manic episode these days, not all people who have had a chronic “high” don’t count, how so?
If you compare my routine manias to this man who spoke you will be able to see the difference.
When I went into a mania I was happy. I had an incredible amount of energy and needed little sleep. While I wasn’t realistic in my thinking (I felt there wasn’t anything I couldn’t do) I didn’t hallucinate. Further, as is often the case with pure manic episodes I didn’t get irritable or abusive. I didn’t get impatient. It would appear that I wasn’t having a manic episode because all of the negative things weren’t occurring. So was I having a manic episode yes or no?
As I said initially, historically anyone who became “up” was considered in a manic state so in that sense I did have a manic episode. However, it has been discovered that there is a secondary level of mania and that is called “hypomania.” This is a more moderate form of mania.
Where is all this is leading, is to an effective definition of a manic episode.
Based on our new knowledge, we can define a manic episode. (Or as in my case we can come close to living it)
A manic episode is a persistent and elevated mood that yields energy or irritability. Further it must last one week or longer unless hospitalization intervenes.
The manic episode must include three additional symptoms from a list that augments the base symptoms. These include inflated self-esteem, little need for sleep, inability to concentrate on ideas, distractibility and a lot of activity in pleasurable activities with a large chance for painful consequences, to name a few.
A true manic episode is dangerous and it is painful for the sufferer and for the people around them.
Still, with proper treatment, there is no reason a person who has experienced a manic episode can’t have a great life.
