Warning signs someone you love is experiencing mania
Have you ever noticed a friend or family member go through what appears to be a total personality change? Perhaps he or she was slightly introverted but suddenly became the extroverted life of the party. Or maybe a quiet friend suddenly became a high speed talker.
This can sometimes be the dramatic face of mania – one of the extreme mood states found in bipolar disorder. Individuals with this serious mental illness may cycle between states of mania and depression throughout their lives although only one episode of mania is required to qualify for the diagnosis.
While the above-mentioned traits can be found in mania, it can appear in a variety of different forms.
It is usually characterized by a combination of symptoms, which can include excessive euphoria with little or no connection to life events or abnormal feelings of power and confidence. Increased energy, racing thoughts, extreme irritability, uncharacteristically bad judgment, increased sexual drive, less need for sleep, and restlessness are also hallmarks of the manic state.