Articles and blog posts relating to mania as a symptom of bipolar disorder.
That scary line between healthy feelings of euphoria and terrifying symptoms of acute mania isn’t nearly as narrow as I once thought. By Melody Moezzi I love frogs. Have ever since I was a kid. Their beauty, diversity, and versatility fascinate me. And while I’m no herpetologist, I know more about frogs than the...
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Euphoric mania can be exciting for those under its spell, but it can also be perilous if you don’t learn to navigate it safely. By Martin Baker “Casting the glamour” is an old Scots term for a magic spell or enchantment. It is the perfect metaphor for the wild, captivating, almost otherworldly impact of...
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Redirect your energy toward these three everyday activities—and feel the difference. #1. Take deep breaths Stopping what you are doing and taking deep breaths can help you stay in control. A simple technique to try: close your eyes, sit up straight, and count to five as you take a deep breath in. Count to...
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While you can’t change the seasonal shift to longer days, you can make subtle lifestyle changes, such as regulating sleep, to sidestep summer mania. By Brittany Sibley The days are longer and the sun is shining the brightest in a while. For a person diagnosed with Bipolar I in 2006, the mere transition...
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It may not be easy, but letting go of hypomania’s false promises and accepting the challenge of committing to treatment can help you manage your bipolar disorder. By Lynda Williams Sometimes I miss hypomania. If all my hypomanic episodes didn’t culminate in crushing depression, I’m pretty sure I would still be prancing around untreated,...
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It’s important to have open and honest conversations about bipolar disorder psychosis to take on the stigma of a very misunderstood symptom. By Andrea Paquette Psychosis consists of seeing, hearing and believing things that are not real. This is the simplest way to define how someone in psychosis experiences the world, which can...
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With spring’s increased sunlight, your reactivity and sensitivity to light changes and can take cheerfulness to the new extreme of mania. Monitor your moods carefully! By Melvin G. McInnis, MD Happy Spring! Everyone feels better in bright sunshine—especially after a long, gray winter. But among individuals with bipolar, the reactivity and sensitivity to light changes...
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We are all familiar with the story of the “tortured artist” but is there a unique creative force in the mood swings of bipolar disorder? By Carin Meyer By the time I was sixteen years old, I had convinced myself that I was a creative genius. I knew nothing yet of bipolar disorder,...
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Knowing the early signs of mania, such as a desire to escape, can help to avoid it spiraling into planning elaborate getaways. By Carin Meyer The hallmark symptom of my coming mania is an overwhelming urge to escape. For me, the lure of mania has often brought with it the lure of escape. At...
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Every year, the returning sunlight marks the coming of my most dangerous season, and so begins my preparation for another bipolar spring. By Carin Meyer I have my very own bipolar calendar. And it is nearly always the same. Every spring, like clockwork, the sun returns to southern Alaska with an unnecessary force,...
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