by Tami Port MS

Created on: July 14, 2009   Last Updated: October 19, 2009

Bipolar disorder is a type of mental illness in which a person has difficulty regulating his or her emotions. Formerly referred to an manic depression, bipolar disorder is characterized by widely fluctuating moods that range from the lows of clinical depression to the highs of full blown mania. In the manic phase of a bipolar episode, the patient may have the following symptoms:

* pressured speech (speaking very quickly and excitedly)
* problems focusing on one topic
* trouble sleeping (sometimes staying awake for very long periods of time)
* incessant activity
* agitation
* irritability
* psychosis (being delusional or or experiencing hallucinations)

* What Is Hypomania? *

In the DSM-IV-TR, psychology's clinical diagnostic manual, hypomania is defined as: "A distinct period of persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood, lasting at least 4 days, and clearly different from the usual non-depressed mood." The prefix "hypo-" means lower, so, in essence, hypomania is a less severe manifestation of full-blown mania.

Symptoms of hypomania may include excessive optimism, pressure of speech (talking fast), a high level of activity, and decreased need for sleep. Some people who are hypomanic also experience increased creativity. Many of the symptoms of hypomania fall within the range of what would be considered normal mood, so the condition is tricky to diagnose, since the person who is hypomanic typically feels great, and is very productive. This good feeling can, however, when not managed, easily spiral out of control.

On the negative side, someone in a hypomanic state can display poor judgment, irritability, out-of-control spending, binge eating, unprotected sex, promiscuity and other impulsive, dangerous behaviors. Still, hypomanics are usually able to function socially and in their work-life, and do not manifest the psychoses that can be part of an all-out manic episode.

Hypomania can also be deceptively dangerous because patients are often disinclined to take their bipolar medication during a hypomanic episode. Many of the symptoms feel good, so someone experiencing hypomania may fear that medication will take this good feeling away.

* How Hypomania Relates to Bipolar Diagnosis *

Hypomania is one of the factors that distinguishes the two main classifications of bipolar disorder; Bipolar I and Bipolar II, which are differentiated based on the level of mania experienced.

Bipolar I : This manifestation of the disorder is diagnosed in individuals who have experienced one or more full manic episodes, and who may or may not have experienced any episodes of major depression. The DSM-IV-TR indicates that one or more manic or mixed episodes (being manic and depressed at the same time) are required for this diagnosis.

Bipolar II : Patients diagnosed as Bipolar II have hypomanic episodes rather than full-blown mania, and have had at least one bout of major depression. Although for diagnosis, those classified as Bipolar II cannot have had a true manic episode prior to diagnosis, this does not mean that mania could not occur in the future, as untreated bipolar disorder tends to worsen and become more extreme.

* Sources *

Web MD, "Hypomania and Mania in Bipolar Disorder".

PsychNet-UK, "Bipolar I and Bipolar II".

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