What Is Mania?
Writer:
You might have heard the term “manic” used to describe the feeling of being excited or energetic. But true mania is more complicated — and more dangerous.
Mania is often known as a symptom of bipolar disorder. But it can also be a sign of other mental health disorders or occur on its own. Mania is a mental health condition that comes with very high energy, extreme self-confidence, and racing thoughts. People having a manic episode often feel extremely happy, but that’s not always the case — sometimes it can feel more like being irritable or angry.
Mania usually shows up for the first time during the teenage years, though it can also start in older or younger people.
Signs of mania
Common signs that you might be experiencing mania include:
A big change in your mood. This might mean feeling much happier, angrier, or more irritable than usual.
Racing thoughts. Your mind is going a mile a minute, and it’s hard to focus.
Talking very fast. It’s difficult to stop talking because you have so much to say.
Feeling extremely excited. You might have tons of new ideas and projects, and you want to start them all at once.
Not needing much sleep. This is different from sleeping too little and feeling tired — you feel fine even after staying up all night.
Increased self-confidence. You might feel like you’re better or smarter than other people, and like nothing can hurt you.
Intense effort toward specific goals. Maybe you ignore your friends and school to work on a project that you just can’t put down.
Risky behavior. You might drive too fast, experiment with drugs, have unsafe sex, or spend lots of money.
Psychosis. This means that you see or hear things that aren’t there or believe things that aren’t true.
None of these signs on their own count as mania — the key is that you experience several of them most of the time for at least a week. Periods of mania can also last much longer than that.
There’s also a milder form of mania called hypomania. In hypomania, your feelings and behavior aren’t as extreme, but the change from your regular personality and mood is still striking enough that people close to you notice it.
What causes mania?
Most of the time, mania starts as part of bipolar disorder. In bipolar disorder, periods of feeling manic alternate with periods of feeling depressed. Even if you haven’t experienced depression before, mania can still be a sign of bipolar disorder.
But bipolar disorder isn’t the only thing that can cause mania. It can also be triggered by a brain injury, another mental health condition, drinking too much alcohol, or taking drugs. Or it might be a side effect of taking certain medications.
Sometimes, mania is mistaken for a sign of other mental health disorders, including:
Depression. This often happens if mania makes you feel more irritable than happy, since irritability is also a sign of depression.
ADHD. Because mania makes it hard to focus, it can look like an attention problem instead of a mood problem.
Schizophrenia. When mania comes with psychosis, it is sometimes mistaken for schizophrenia, which also involves psychosis and tends to start around the same age as mania.
How is mania treated?
If you or someone close to you is experiencing mania, it’s important to get help as soon as possible. Mania can lead to dangerous behavior, so going to the emergency room is often the first step.
In the longer term, mania is often treated with both medication and therapy. A psychiatrist can help you figure out what kind of medication works for you, usually a kind of medication called a mood stabilizer. And specialized psychotherapy can also help you learn to recognize and understand mania. With support, you can learn to monitor your mood, manage your symptoms, and get more help when you need it.
