If you are not sure what manic behavior is and want to learn more about mania and how it affects someone, keep reading. This article will discuss some of the most common symptoms of mania and viable treatment options for this condition. Although mania can be considered a serious condition, keep in mind that there are many ways to treat it and there is a lot of information known about mania.
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What Is Mania?
Mania occurs when a person experiences a period of intense energy or feelings of euphoria. In general, mania is linked to bipolar disorder. Manic periods can last for differing amounts of time. After someone experiences mania, they often experience depression as well. If you have ever heard the term manic, the manic definition is someone who is experiencing mania.
What Is Acute Mania?
There are three types of mania: hypomania, acute mania, and mania that causes delirium. Hypomania is a mania that is considered less severe than traditional mania, and the symptoms may not be as severe either.
The acute mania definition is a mania that may come on suddenly and may not last for a long time. The mania that results in delirium may last longer than acute mania and require hospitalization.
If you want to learn more about these types of mania, look for medically reviewed articles (for example, the manic Wikipedia page is not medically reviewed, but articles from the American Psychiatric Association are).
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder, which might also be referred to as manic disorder, is when a person will experience periods of feeling down and periods of feeling ‘up’ when experiencing mania.
Symptoms of Mania
Here are 7 of the most common mania symptoms that a person can experience.
- Engaging In Risky Behaviors. People that are manic sometimes start doing things that are considered to be risky. This can be gambling, taking illegal drugs, or spending too much money on long shopping sprees.
- Erratic Moods. Another symptom is erratic moods. A person may become very irritable or start acting differently than you are used to seeing them act. They may become argumentative as well.
- Getting Little To No Sleep. When someone is experiencing mania, not only will they be unlikely to get the proper amount of sleep, but they also may be convinced that they do not need that sleep as well.
- Unable To Concentrate. People experiencing a mania stage will also have difficulty concentrating. They may pace around and not be able to sit still, which keeps them from being able to focus on one thing at a time.
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- Feeling Like You Can Complete Many Tasks At The Same Time. Much like with the symptom above, even though a person might not be able to finish one task, they might feel like they are able to do many things at one time. In reality, they won’t be able to complete many things at once, and if they do, these things will generally be completed poorly.
- Intense Feelings Of Happiness. Part of the mania definition involves feelings of happiness or feeling “up.” This is something that is indicative of the condition and is quite common. People will feel good and elated for a period of time.
- Talking Quickly, In An Uncharacteristic Way. People with mania will often talk very quickly, and they might not make much sense when they are talking. For example, they could start to jump from topic to topic so much so that you are unable to follow what they are saying.
Causes
Researchers have identified several risk factors:
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- Large or sudden changes in your life
- A large amount of stress
- Irregular sleeping schedule
- Difficulties in life
- Frequent abuse
Treatments
As you can see, mania has serious symptoms, and people that are affected by mania benefit from getting help as soon as they determine that they need it. There are a few types of treatment that have been used for many years to treat mania.
Prescriptions
There are prescriptions that are used to treat mania and may allow a person to lessen some of their most severe symptoms. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience explains that there are numerous medicines that are designed to treat mania and that this is something that is studied regularly.
There are also prescriptions that can be used to treat depression if this is a factor for a person. You should discuss all prescription options with your doctor or primary care provider.
Therapy
Therapy can also be a major tool in treating mania or bipolar disorder. A person can see changes whenever they take advantage of psychotherapy, and they can also be taught how to alter some of their behaviors. A therapist may opt for a program that helps someone with mania learn how to utilize a routine and become able to overcome stressful situations. These processes are discussed in detail in a study published in Lancet.
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If you are wondering if you have mania, consider taking this mania test. It will be able to help you figure out how to get help when you require it.
Other Things to Try
In addition to medicines and therapy, there are some other changes you can make in your life to help your treatment be more effective. Here are a few of these changes that you should institute into your life.
- Take Care Of Your Body’s Needs. When you are trying to address your mental health, it’s important to address your physical health as well. The first step is getting a checkup if you haven’t had one recently. You need to rule out physical ailments, which are able to lead to mania in some cases. Taking care of your overall health also involves eating right, exercising, and sleeping an adequate amount each night.
- Spend Time With Loved Ones. It can be hard to cultivate relationships with others when you are experiencing mania, but as you are going through treatment, you should also take the opportunity to spend time with people that are important to you. This can be friends or family members, and you can approach it however you wish. You may want to talk to them on the phone, meet up with them, or even do something together. Just remember that you probably need people to lean on as you work your way through the process of treating your mania, so it is helpful to have people in your corner that care about you and will be there when you need them. If you don’t feel comfortable leaning on friends and family, a licensed therapist can be an important part of your support network.
- Stick With Treatment. Even when you start to feel better, you need to stick with your treatment. Lessening your symptoms could take quite a while, but it is worth the wait. Each day you can be learning new techniques to help you deal with stress and allow you to process your feelings differently.
- Keep A Diary. Writing in a diary can also help you throughout the healing process. Not only will it allow you to see what is going on in your life, but also when you write something down, it may be able to help you process a situation better. Besides just keeping a diary, you might want to start writing down all of your symptoms as well. This can give you a glimpse of your symptoms, and you will be able to notice if some of them start to either taper off or get worse.
Outlook
Considering mania is usually a part of a more serious mental condition and is generally treated with a combination of medication and therapy, it can take a while to see a lessening of symptoms. One reason for this is that it may take a bit of time to notice a difference in how someone feels or behaves. Another reason is that there is likely a trial and error period when it comes to the medicines that someone must try. Different prescriptions work for different people, so your doctor will have to find one that works for your disorder.
Of course, whenever the proper combinations are found, and a therapist takes note of what works and what doesn’t, you can be well on your way to seeing a decrease in symptoms and being able to do the things you want to do again. It is important to always be honest with your therapist, so they can see how well your treatment is working or not working. Then they will be able to make changes quickly, which saves time overall.
Keep in mind that there is help out there for anyone that is experiencing mania or bipolar disorder, so if you feel like you need help, reach out as soon as possible.
