Posted by katekite on April 11, 2002, at 17:30:45
In reply to Bi polar or depression/anxiety, posted by Marie416 on April 11, 2002, at 16:06:29
Hypomania is hard to define. There is argument over what consitutes hypomania at the non-euphoric end.
Agitation can look like restless, must be moving, doing stuff.
Whereas pure hypomania would often have components of feeling like you are invincible, that you can do anything, maybe spending too much, or taking risks, maybe feeling more sex oriented. Not just feeling like thoughts are racing but also someone saying you have to slow down that you are talking fast. That suddenly 4 hrs of sleep seems like plenty.
Some "hypomania" is normal for short periods of time, hours, if someone is really excited about something, found 100 bucks, or spurts of energy when an antidepressant actually lifts that long grumpy depression.
Its important to be honest with ones-self about whether you feel you miss the lost sleep, for example. Whether in another mood you would have bought $400 of clothes because they were there. If life is has suddenly become very easy and you actually can hold two jobs and still cook cakes from scratch then that's probably hypomania.
Where it gets tricky is if it is a mixed hypomania, where one isn't happy, maybe is irritable and short tempered as well as having the extra energy. That can look like agitation. Even mixed hypomania should have not only racing/pressured thoughts but also flight of ideas, where tons of different subjects pop into your head. Anxiety/agitation might be more like racing thoughts but all on the same theme.
For example I had agitation on Wellbutrin. Felt like a train was pulling me, just way too much energy, and I didn't like it. I couldn't sleep either. Just worried and obsessed about how awful I felt but could barely sit down, had to be doing stuff. Yuck.
Sooo.... I hope that helps some. I am no expert. Hypomania is supposed to last at least a few days straight. So cleaning and talking for 5 hrs around midnight then collapsing wouldn't count. I don't think. At least not in a strict definition.
Curious to hear what others say, gather as many opinions as you can.
kate
poster:katekite
thread:102783
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020408/msgs/102793.html