Bipolar/Mania
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Join Date: Oct 2007
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Bipolar/Mania
My son is in the hospital for what it looks to be mania. Does anyone have any experience with this. I am hoping I will find out what type of bp he has and I went to the library and got some books to read but wanted to see if anyone could share their stories. He was talking real fast and would not stop and he was talking about his voice and the different tones to it and was just not making sense. He is still not much better, he went in on Sunday. I was told this could take 2-4 weeks for the meds to start working. Does this mania come on for any particular reason, stress or trauma. Can you have mania multiple times in a years span. Thanks in advance for anything you can share.
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yes...you can have mania multiple times in a years span...especially if you are a rapid cycler.
One of the best books I would recommend for you to read is "A Brilliant Maddness" By Patty Duke. She struggled mostly with mania and the book is a good first one to read because it is written in alternating chapters between her and her doctor....if I remember correctly. It was one of (if not THE) first book I read on manic-depressive illness and I just can't explain to you how it opened my eyes wide open to what it was all about.
Another book I really enjoyed was Touched with Fire (Manic-Depressive Illness And The Artistic Temperament) By Kay Redfield Jamison who also wrote another good one titled An Unquite Mind
Jamison writes that recent research strongly suggests that writers and artists show mood disorders at a rate larger than that of the general public.
"Many are unaware of the milder, temperamental experessions of the diseases or do not know that most people who have manic-depressive illness are, in fact, without symptoms (that is, they are psychologically normal) most of the time."
"The rhythms and cycles of manic-depressive illness, a singularly cyclic disease, are strikingly similar to those of the natural world, as well as to the death-and-regeneration and dark-and-light cycles so often captured in poetry, music, and painting. Seasonal cycles are particularly important, and these are discussed in the context of the scientific evidence for seasonal patterns in moods and psychosis, as well as illustrated by the seasonla patterns of artistic productivity evident in the lives of Robert Schumann, Vincent van Gogh, and others."
One of the best books I would recommend for you to read is "A Brilliant Maddness" By Patty Duke. She struggled mostly with mania and the book is a good first one to read because it is written in alternating chapters between her and her doctor....if I remember correctly. It was one of (if not THE) first book I read on manic-depressive illness and I just can't explain to you how it opened my eyes wide open to what it was all about.
Another book I really enjoyed was Touched with Fire (Manic-Depressive Illness And The Artistic Temperament) By Kay Redfield Jamison who also wrote another good one titled An Unquite Mind
Jamison writes that recent research strongly suggests that writers and artists show mood disorders at a rate larger than that of the general public.
"Many are unaware of the milder, temperamental experessions of the diseases or do not know that most people who have manic-depressive illness are, in fact, without symptoms (that is, they are psychologically normal) most of the time."
"The rhythms and cycles of manic-depressive illness, a singularly cyclic disease, are strikingly similar to those of the natural world, as well as to the death-and-regeneration and dark-and-light cycles so often captured in poetry, music, and painting. Seasonal cycles are particularly important, and these are discussed in the context of the scientific evidence for seasonal patterns in moods and psychosis, as well as illustrated by the seasonla patterns of artistic productivity evident in the lives of Robert Schumann, Vincent van Gogh, and others."
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his rapid speech is normal...so is him not making much sense.
You can also expect him to be frequently irritable and/or paranoid.
Whether or not, he looses touch with reality will be the BIG question.
It is not uncommon for some to see or hear things that they know full-well are not there.
Jamison lists other common features of mania or hypomania as including spending sprees, "reckless driving, extreme impatience, intense and impulsive romantic or sexual liaisons, and volatility."
"In its extreme forms mania is characterized by violent agitation, bizarre behavior, delusional thinking, and visual and auditory hallucinations."
Patty Duke described her own behavior as often being very violent and dangerous. Also....it's important to point out from Jamison's book, that as was true with Patty Duke,....there have been studies that have shown a strong association between alcoholism and mania. Jamison lists there to be about 60 percent of bipolar patients to have either drug or alcohol dependence. And she also points out that we are also more likely than any other group to commit suicide. She puts it in these terms: About 20 percent of us actually go through with it.....and about 2/3 of all the people who ever do committ suicide are found to have suffered from depressive or manic-depressive illness.
That....I totally agree with! Because major depression is just SO hard to bare over and over and over again.
She also points out that some "studies have found that rhymes, punning, and sound associations increase during mania and many patients spontaneously start writing poetry while manic (often without any previous interest in either reading or writing poetry)."
"hypomania also has been found to increase intellectual functioning on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale." .... "The grandiosity of spirit and vision so characteristic of mania, coupled with manic drive and intensity, can add an expansiveness and boldness as well."
"Manic patients, for example, tend not only to speak more, and more rapidly, but also to use more colorful and powerful speech, including more action verbs and adjectives."
"An important and significant symptom of the endogenous depression - but also of mania - is the daily fluctuation of mood and of the total state. Improvements of all symptoms usually occurs towards evening, the retardation and depressive mood particularly showing a change for the better."
I hope you find some of this at least a little interesting.
hugs,
Jenna
You can also expect him to be frequently irritable and/or paranoid.
Whether or not, he looses touch with reality will be the BIG question.
It is not uncommon for some to see or hear things that they know full-well are not there.
Jamison lists other common features of mania or hypomania as including spending sprees, "reckless driving, extreme impatience, intense and impulsive romantic or sexual liaisons, and volatility."
"In its extreme forms mania is characterized by violent agitation, bizarre behavior, delusional thinking, and visual and auditory hallucinations."
Patty Duke described her own behavior as often being very violent and dangerous. Also....it's important to point out from Jamison's book, that as was true with Patty Duke,....there have been studies that have shown a strong association between alcoholism and mania. Jamison lists there to be about 60 percent of bipolar patients to have either drug or alcohol dependence. And she also points out that we are also more likely than any other group to commit suicide. She puts it in these terms: About 20 percent of us actually go through with it.....and about 2/3 of all the people who ever do committ suicide are found to have suffered from depressive or manic-depressive illness.
That....I totally agree with! Because major depression is just SO hard to bare over and over and over again.
She also points out that some "studies have found that rhymes, punning, and sound associations increase during mania and many patients spontaneously start writing poetry while manic (often without any previous interest in either reading or writing poetry)."
"hypomania also has been found to increase intellectual functioning on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale." .... "The grandiosity of spirit and vision so characteristic of mania, coupled with manic drive and intensity, can add an expansiveness and boldness as well."
"Manic patients, for example, tend not only to speak more, and more rapidly, but also to use more colorful and powerful speech, including more action verbs and adjectives."
"An important and significant symptom of the endogenous depression - but also of mania - is the daily fluctuation of mood and of the total state. Improvements of all symptoms usually occurs towards evening, the retardation and depressive mood particularly showing a change for the better."
I hope you find some of this at least a little interesting.
hugs,
Jenna
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Join Date: Oct 2007
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I have been going back in the past and thinking of how my son was years ago and I am thinking he might be a rapid cycler. I can remember times when he would call me at work and got off and be really mad about something and I would rush home to confront him and he would be happy and act like nothing happened. Me and my mother would discuss this and think he had a split personality. I guess all along he has been struggling with bp without meds. This time really hit home because he was talking non stop for over 24 hours about the same strange things. There has also been times when he would get depressed and sleep all the time. But if my memory is correct, I think that he seems to be in mania more then depression. But I never really watch his moods to a tee to determine this for sure. I dont know if mania or depression is worse. I just dont want him to get out of the hospital with a bag of pills to function. I am hoping that this can be controlled with a couple pills. I know that he is still not with it because when I talk to him on the phone he is not getting angry, he will start laughing at me over the phone. He did say he was going to disown me and move to Florida but I know he is just blowing off steam. This is so overwhelming and I just cant imagine how you folks deal with this. I never concerned myself with learning about this because when the doctors said he had bp, I just thought depression. I didnt know the extent of this disease. I will call and check on him again today and see where he is......
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yes....I experience very little mania....although since I've returned from my 12 ECT treatments I have started experiencing more mania and it is bothering me a great deal. But typically when I do experience a hypomania I relish it for every moment that it lasts!
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I also read about that, that a lot of people that experience mania love it. But the point that my son's mania was to the extreme of non stop talking about sounds and crazy things and he wouldnt stop. He wasnt sleeping either. I guess my questions is, even though it feels good, total opposite of the depression, that if you dont seek help could it get out of control or is some episodes minor and how will I know. If I see my son in a mania stage, I will not know..........
Thanks Shutterbug about the info and the books, I will get them and read them all. Your knowlege and personal experience is extremely helpful and I thank you for taking the time to write me.
Thanks Shutterbug about the info and the books, I will get them and read them all. Your knowlege and personal experience is extremely helpful and I thank you for taking the time to write me.
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Join Date: Aug 2004
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yeah, i usually love it. Although, this stuff I've been experiencing since my shock treatments is not enjoyable at all.....it feels more like watching a moving in super fast motion and feeling very pressured and rushed. My head just feels like it's spinning. I don't like that feeling at all.
To answer your question...yes some episodes stay very minor....actually, I have yet to ever experience an episode myself that I NEEDED to seek help for. All mine have been minor, but of course that's why my diagnosis is Bipolar II. Once your son gets stabalized on the right dosage of mood stabalizer like Lithium or Depakote then you shouldn't have to worry - for the most part. And, really.....the truth is that it will be in his hands anyway. Only he can decide to take his meds correctly and when to seek help most of the time. A lot of Bipolar I people struggle with taking their meds because it makes them feel so "flat" compared to what they are use to....ultimately, it will be his choice to act responsibly and take them every day. (I say that b/c I suspect that your son is Bipolar I, but of course I am no doc and I have not witnessed his actions in person).
I wish you all the best and admire you for becoming so involved in your son's illness and recovery....there are not a lot of mom's out there who even bother the slightest bit as much as you are in trying to figure all this out. I commend you.
To answer your question...yes some episodes stay very minor....actually, I have yet to ever experience an episode myself that I NEEDED to seek help for. All mine have been minor, but of course that's why my diagnosis is Bipolar II. Once your son gets stabalized on the right dosage of mood stabalizer like Lithium or Depakote then you shouldn't have to worry - for the most part. And, really.....the truth is that it will be in his hands anyway. Only he can decide to take his meds correctly and when to seek help most of the time. A lot of Bipolar I people struggle with taking their meds because it makes them feel so "flat" compared to what they are use to....ultimately, it will be his choice to act responsibly and take them every day. (I say that b/c I suspect that your son is Bipolar I, but of course I am no doc and I have not witnessed his actions in person).
I wish you all the best and admire you for becoming so involved in your son's illness and recovery....there are not a lot of mom's out there who even bother the slightest bit as much as you are in trying to figure all this out. I commend you.
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Thanks Jenna, I am trying to figure this all out. I did talk to the lady that is over the group that is working with my son and I asked her if she thought this was a mania stage and she said that it might be more of a pschotic (sp) disorder. He is still the same and she said that he doesnt listen to the rules and that he is growling in the hallway. I am just freakin out here. I have not went and seen him because it is going to break my heart but I am going tonite for visitation. I am not sure what to say or expect but I will just be there and tell him I love him and that I want him to get better. They did let me know what meds he is on. Risperdal 3mg twice a day / Depakote ER 1000ml at nite/ and today they will start him on Thoraine 50mg 4 times a day. She told me that he could be in there for another 7-10 days and that he will still be sick and it will be up to him to continue his meds and treatment. Also, they told me it could take up to 6 mos to determine exactly what is going on. As long as he continues with the aftercare treatment, we might have a name for what this is. I just dont know. So scary. So scared for him. Never in a million years thought about something this severe. Thanks for everyone being here thru my journey. Maybe someday he will be able to come here and understand more and grow to be independent and productive. Time will tell.
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Join Date: Jan 2008
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I was first diagnosed with bi-polar in 1995. I was not sleeping for weeks prior to being hospitalised, talking faster than my brain could keep up with, gardening at 2am...all the classic symtoms of a manic episode.
I've been in and out of hospital more times than i can remember with this illness. I know I'll be on my meds for the rest of my life but it's no different to diabetic needing insulin daily.
Society, unforntunately, still stigmatises mental health problems. My family still don't fully get it after all these years (I'm 34 now and had it since I was 23).
I'm on venlafaxine 225mg in the morning, 2mg xanax in the morning, 32mg suboxone in the morning, 10mg olazapine in the morning, 2mg xanax in the evening and 10mg olazapine before bed.
Apart from drinking a little to much lately, I've never felt better. My last hospital admission was around November last year and for some reason, something 'clicked'. I decided there'd be no fu$%ing round with my meds, I see my psych monthly, my pshycologist weekly, and my GP whenever i need. I attend GROW groups, which are great for people with a dual diagnosis.
I'm getting there, step by step and so will you if you want it.
BTW....most ppl wiyh bi-polar are geniuses
I've been in and out of hospital more times than i can remember with this illness. I know I'll be on my meds for the rest of my life but it's no different to diabetic needing insulin daily.
Society, unforntunately, still stigmatises mental health problems. My family still don't fully get it after all these years (I'm 34 now and had it since I was 23).
I'm on venlafaxine 225mg in the morning, 2mg xanax in the morning, 32mg suboxone in the morning, 10mg olazapine in the morning, 2mg xanax in the evening and 10mg olazapine before bed.
Apart from drinking a little to much lately, I've never felt better. My last hospital admission was around November last year and for some reason, something 'clicked'. I decided there'd be no fu$%ing round with my meds, I see my psych monthly, my pshycologist weekly, and my GP whenever i need. I attend GROW groups, which are great for people with a dual diagnosis.
I'm getting there, step by step and so will you if you want it.
BTW....most ppl wiyh bi-polar are geniuses
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how did the visit go?
You've probably already said this here or else where, but how old is he? Have there been any other specific mental illness diagnosises made on either your side of the family or his fathers? How about several generations back...like your grandparent's grandparents or relatives?
((((tw33k))))
Please be careful of the xanax ....which is best to stay totally clear of if possible.
And please be careful of the drinking....which my bipolar father didn't start becoming an alcoholic until i was in high school (so he'd have been around 40 or so) and it's totally screwed him up. And i'm sure you are probably already aware of how high the percentage rate is of bipolars who also have addiction issues right? Yep, we are MUCH more likely to become alcholics, addicts and gamblers (my personal vice).
Anyway, glad to hear you've decided to take care of yourself and be serious about your illness issues and also just want to WELCOME you to SR (SoberRecovery.com)
Hugs,
Jenna
You've probably already said this here or else where, but how old is he? Have there been any other specific mental illness diagnosises made on either your side of the family or his fathers? How about several generations back...like your grandparent's grandparents or relatives?
((((tw33k))))
Please be careful of the xanax ....which is best to stay totally clear of if possible.
And please be careful of the drinking....which my bipolar father didn't start becoming an alcoholic until i was in high school (so he'd have been around 40 or so) and it's totally screwed him up. And i'm sure you are probably already aware of how high the percentage rate is of bipolars who also have addiction issues right? Yep, we are MUCH more likely to become alcholics, addicts and gamblers (my personal vice).
Anyway, glad to hear you've decided to take care of yourself and be serious about your illness issues and also just want to WELCOME you to SR (SoberRecovery.com)
Hugs,
Jenna
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Join Date: Oct 2007
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Jenna, My son is 18. I went and seen him a few days ago and he got a little angry with me so the nurse told me I should leave. I did..... I have a appt. today at 10am to talk to the whole team that works on his treatment and care. My son has been calling wanting his adhd med and wanting to get out. He is a little grouchy and so thats how I know that he is coming around. I am going to tell them to give him his adhd med and then we can see if he might be fine to get out of there. He is not anything like he was when he first got there. So, me and my father are going to the meeting this morning and I will get a better feel for what they think is going on and get some information on case management and doctors for his treatment. Thanks for asking and I will let you know what happens today.
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Australia
Posts: 170
((jenna))...thanx for the advice. I've cut down dramatically on my xanax...sometimes i don't take it all. I see my psychologist today for cbt and my psychiartrist tomorrow to discuss meds.
I know the alcohol is a problem too but i find the more i talk about it...the less i drink
I know the alcohol is a problem too but i find the more i talk about it...the less i drink
FreeSpirit
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Inside My Spirit
Posts: 1,274
I was Diagnose with this crippling disease in 2004
and it scares me and as I read all the threads shutterbug
posted about this disease I'm so sad and want to cry
I really didn't believe the psychiatry in2004 when he
told me my disease I'm Angry and mad and sad
and scare
I don't know where to star is like been paralyze
and not been able to move cause I talk about it but the more I get inform
it makes me a believer and it sends me into shock and then you feel
paralyze, but your mind thinks for you a mile a minute.
I have and apt. schedule for this Wednesday coming I don't know
what to say to the psychiatry Help
and it scares me and as I read all the threads shutterbug
posted about this disease I'm so sad and want to cry
I really didn't believe the psychiatry in2004 when he
told me my disease I'm Angry and mad and sad
and scare
I don't know where to star is like been paralyzeand not been able to move cause I talk about it but the more I get inform
it makes me a believer and it sends me into shock and then you feel
paralyze, but your mind thinks for you a mile a minute.
I have and apt. schedule for this Wednesday coming I don't know
what to say to the psychiatry Help
Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Birmingham, AL
Posts: 533
Hello! I suffer from this beast as well. Although I experience more depression than mania. When I experience either of the two, they are in extremes. My mania consists of excessive energy (cleaning, talking, just random whatever to burn up energy). When I was using drugs, this made my mania even MORE intense. I am an opiate abuser and opiates always gave me energy. I would do things on impulse, drug usage, sex, drinking, shopping, etc. Just anything to burn up energy even though most of my choices were NOT the right ones. I am about to start back on my meds because I just had my second child and I couldn't take them pregnant.
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Newsandi....if you're still around...i just read back through this thread to refresh my memory...and i am really, really wondering how your son is doing??
I also wanted to tell you it is typical for mental illnesses like bipolar disorder to surface with the first major episode around the late teens - early 20's. So your son being 18 tells me that his illness is showing itself. Thank goodness for him that he has you and the the medical world also has progressed since my first major episode! (which was a major depressive episode)
No one told me or helped me. I struggled alone for a year at about age 19. I knew nothing about any of this until the onset of my second major depression 7 years later. That's when I started seeking out what was really going on and trying to figure out what was wrong with me. I'm currently in major depression episode #3.
I pray your son can find good docs and stay on his meds. He will probably be MUCH less angry and grumpy when he's on the right meds.
Dear Butterfly,
I'm SO sorry to hear your story and of your struggles. But please....know this....with a correct diagnosis can come proper treatment! Despite my depressed posts here, there really are times where I enjoy parts of my illness. I have a creative side to me that I truely believe i would not have if not for my bipolar. And I have the drive and motivation of near "superwoman" form at times....that i've accomplished SO much because of it!!!
I mean, i'm the first person in my family to EVER get a college degree! And i've been published all over the U.S. and the world in magazines and national publications a 100 times over. I don't think i could have accomplished even HALF of what i have in my life if not for my disease.
Sure....it's absolutely horrid to live with right now...and i've really struggle the past two weeks and have had thoughts for the first time of possibly having to go on long-term disability....
BUT, I have my 20th shock treatment tomorrow and i know that by Monday I will be right as rain and back on top of the world again!! And, IF by some chance i ever do end up going on long-term disabity? Well, that will just mean that I will have plenty of free time to work on writing the books i want to write....and/or going back to college for a master's degree.
A bipolar diagnosis isn't the end of the world. Rather, it's the beginning of an awareness that can help you become the best you can be.
Tired Mama,
Yep, I know all those things all too well. Although, I look at my high energy periods as just hypomania. I could very well be wrong, but I tend to view full-blown mania more like that which Newsandi described her son acting (and with full-blown manic episodes comes the possible psychotic issues and possible hallucinations and things).
I feel thankful that I've never experienced that kind of such a powerful manic episode (to my knowledge), but if I were on that side of things....I might say the same thing about going through this kind of powerfully dibilitating depression. Who knows.
I just know that I'm also thankful that I am able to put my hypomania periods to good use by often using the energy in the best ways I can. Man, i really LOVE it when I get in a full day of power cleaning done!!! lol
Love and Hugs to all,
Jenna
I also wanted to tell you it is typical for mental illnesses like bipolar disorder to surface with the first major episode around the late teens - early 20's. So your son being 18 tells me that his illness is showing itself. Thank goodness for him that he has you and the the medical world also has progressed since my first major episode! (which was a major depressive episode)
No one told me or helped me. I struggled alone for a year at about age 19. I knew nothing about any of this until the onset of my second major depression 7 years later. That's when I started seeking out what was really going on and trying to figure out what was wrong with me. I'm currently in major depression episode #3.
I pray your son can find good docs and stay on his meds. He will probably be MUCH less angry and grumpy when he's on the right meds.
Dear Butterfly,
I'm SO sorry to hear your story and of your struggles. But please....know this....with a correct diagnosis can come proper treatment! Despite my depressed posts here, there really are times where I enjoy parts of my illness. I have a creative side to me that I truely believe i would not have if not for my bipolar. And I have the drive and motivation of near "superwoman" form at times....that i've accomplished SO much because of it!!!
I mean, i'm the first person in my family to EVER get a college degree! And i've been published all over the U.S. and the world in magazines and national publications a 100 times over. I don't think i could have accomplished even HALF of what i have in my life if not for my disease.
Sure....it's absolutely horrid to live with right now...and i've really struggle the past two weeks and have had thoughts for the first time of possibly having to go on long-term disability....
BUT, I have my 20th shock treatment tomorrow and i know that by Monday I will be right as rain and back on top of the world again!! And, IF by some chance i ever do end up going on long-term disabity? Well, that will just mean that I will have plenty of free time to work on writing the books i want to write....and/or going back to college for a master's degree.
A bipolar diagnosis isn't the end of the world. Rather, it's the beginning of an awareness that can help you become the best you can be.
Tired Mama,
Yep, I know all those things all too well. Although, I look at my high energy periods as just hypomania. I could very well be wrong, but I tend to view full-blown mania more like that which Newsandi described her son acting (and with full-blown manic episodes comes the possible psychotic issues and possible hallucinations and things).
I feel thankful that I've never experienced that kind of such a powerful manic episode (to my knowledge), but if I were on that side of things....I might say the same thing about going through this kind of powerfully dibilitating depression. Who knows.
I just know that I'm also thankful that I am able to put my hypomania periods to good use by often using the energy in the best ways I can. Man, i really LOVE it when I get in a full day of power cleaning done!!! lol
Love and Hugs to all,
Jenna
Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 1
Originally Posted by shutterbug 
his rapid speech is normal...so is him not making much sense.
You can also expect him to be frequently irritable and/or paranoid.
Whether or not, he looses touch with reality will be the BIG question.
It is not uncommon for some to see or hear things that they know full-well are not there.
Jamison lists other common features of mania or hypomania as including spending sprees, "reckless driving, extreme impatience, intense and impulsive romantic or sexual liaisons, and volatility."
"In its extreme forms mania is characterized by violent agitation, bizarre behavior, delusional thinking, and visual and auditory hallucinations."
Patty Duke described her own behavior as often being very violent and dangerous. Also....it's important to point out from Jamison's book, that as was true with Patty Duke,....there have been studies that have shown a strong association between alcoholism and mania. Jamison lists there to be about 60 percent of bipolar patients to have either drug or alcohol dependence. And she also points out that we are also more likely than any other group to commit suicide. She puts it in these terms: About 20 percent of us actually go through with it.....and about 2/3 of all the people who ever do committ suicide are found to have suffered from depressive or manic-depressive illness.
That....I totally agree with! Because major depression is just SO hard to bare over and over and over again.
She also points out that some "studies have found that rhymes, punning, and sound associations increase during mania and many patients spontaneously start writing poetry while manic (often without any previous interest in either reading or writing poetry)."
"hypomania also has been found to increase intellectual functioning on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale." .... "The grandiosity of spirit and vision so characteristic of mania, coupled with manic drive and intensity, can add an expansiveness and boldness as well."
"Manic patients, for example, tend not only to speak more, and more rapidly, but also to use more colorful and powerful speech, including more action verbs and adjectives."
"An important and significant symptom of the endogenous depression - but also of mania - is the daily fluctuation of mood and of the total state. Improvements of all symptoms usually occurs towards evening, the retardation and depressive mood particularly showing a change for the better."
I hope you find some of this at least a little interesting.
hugs,
Jenna
You can also expect him to be frequently irritable and/or paranoid.
Whether or not, he looses touch with reality will be the BIG question.
It is not uncommon for some to see or hear things that they know full-well are not there.
Jamison lists other common features of mania or hypomania as including spending sprees, "reckless driving, extreme impatience, intense and impulsive romantic or sexual liaisons, and volatility."
"In its extreme forms mania is characterized by violent agitation, bizarre behavior, delusional thinking, and visual and auditory hallucinations."
Patty Duke described her own behavior as often being very violent and dangerous. Also....it's important to point out from Jamison's book, that as was true with Patty Duke,....there have been studies that have shown a strong association between alcoholism and mania. Jamison lists there to be about 60 percent of bipolar patients to have either drug or alcohol dependence. And she also points out that we are also more likely than any other group to commit suicide. She puts it in these terms: About 20 percent of us actually go through with it.....and about 2/3 of all the people who ever do committ suicide are found to have suffered from depressive or manic-depressive illness.
That....I totally agree with! Because major depression is just SO hard to bare over and over and over again.
She also points out that some "studies have found that rhymes, punning, and sound associations increase during mania and many patients spontaneously start writing poetry while manic (often without any previous interest in either reading or writing poetry)."
"hypomania also has been found to increase intellectual functioning on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale." .... "The grandiosity of spirit and vision so characteristic of mania, coupled with manic drive and intensity, can add an expansiveness and boldness as well."
"Manic patients, for example, tend not only to speak more, and more rapidly, but also to use more colorful and powerful speech, including more action verbs and adjectives."
"An important and significant symptom of the endogenous depression - but also of mania - is the daily fluctuation of mood and of the total state. Improvements of all symptoms usually occurs towards evening, the retardation and depressive mood particularly showing a change for the better."
I hope you find some of this at least a little interesting.
hugs,
Jenna
Yesterday I was told by two people that I am manic, and yes, I find this very interesting. Wonderful thinking. You have been helpful. Thank you for your contribution!!
Member
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: New Orleans, LA/Charlotte, NC
Posts: 78
Hi, I, too, am on this wonderful rollercoaster of bipolar. A book I really found helpful was The Up and Down Life by Paul Jones. He puts as light-hearted a spin on this as one can and gives really good facts as well as tips for how to deal with it and for families of bipolars. When I was diagnosed I set out to learn as much as I could about this thing (it's the way I deal with struggles). And with education, medication, therapy and all the other wonderful things that come along with it, bipolars can thrive just as anyone else can (we just have to sort of stay vigilant about our internal state!). I'm currently working on my PhD in behavioral neuroscience and doing quite well.
And I agree with shutterbug about Kay Redfield Jamison--An Unquiet Mind is really good; she is a wonderful author and knows both sides of this disorder (personal and clinical)...I've read every book she's written!
Best of luck! I know it's a struggle...my mom's had difficulties dealing with it, especially with my living 700 miles from home!
And I agree with shutterbug about Kay Redfield Jamison--An Unquiet Mind is really good; she is a wonderful author and knows both sides of this disorder (personal and clinical)...I've read every book she's written!
Best of luck! I know it's a struggle...my mom's had difficulties dealing with it, especially with my living 700 miles from home!
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