3 ms·

You make mania sound like "student holiday".

• InclinedPlane 9y ago
  That's the thing, they can easily fit into the normal range of human behavior, even in bipolar I. Popculture puts out this image that bipolar people are bonkers crazy and that manic/hypomanic episodes are extremely noticeable, dramatic, and also obviously destructive. The reality is that, especially with bipolar II, things can be much more nuanced and subtle. Hypomania can manifest as being really interested in something, working on projects, and just being generally productive, maybe while staying up late a few nights in a row, or even just one. It can be as simple as progressing through a challenging but fun video game. And the risk taking and impulsiveness aspects might seem perfectly normal as well. It might just mean that you buy that thing on amazon that you've been putting off for a few months because you didn't really need it. That can make it hard for people to see their behavior as in any way "abnormal". However, it's still incredibly important to understand whether or not you have these behavioral changes because they can often have a negative impact on your life if you don't understand them and develop coping skills for them. Your behavioral controls might be calibrated to who you are day to day rather than who you are when you're hypomanic. And that can lead to a lot of problems, spending too much money, taking irrational risks, etc. Being able to step back and realize that your feelings and impressions are being filtered by basically a mood altering state (just as you'd realize that you act differently when drunk and need to compensate for that) will help you navigate those behaviors better and be able to retain your ability to act rationally and in your own future best interests.