With bipolar disorder (which
for years was called manic depression), depression is at one pole, and, for
those with bipolar 1, mania is at the other pole. The word mania goes
back to the Greek word mainesthai, which roughly translates as crazy.
Bipolar hypomania is a
less intense form of mania. Before I was diagnosed and medicated as Bipolar 2,
my hypomania periodically took the form of shopping, particularly shopping for
costume jewelry. Every time I had a welcome illusion that I was now a new and
better (happier) woman, I felt compelled to buy costume jewelry that the new,
improved me would wear.
After several years of this,
when I lived in Santa Fe, I moved to Santa Barbara. In preparation, I downsized
my possessions. One afternoon I found myself sitting in the middle of my
queen-sized bed surrounded by the jewelry I had bought in the past decade. Most
of it I would never wear again, and I couldn't quite recall who I thought I was
becoming when I bought it by mail from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
Mania is much more intense than hypomania and may require
hospitalization. During manic episodes, poor judgment can lead to terrible
decisions and cost people their jobs and friends. In the extreme form,
sufferers sometimes hear voices. I have never experienced extreme mania, and
I've only once heard an imaginary voice. I was visiting a friend in Cazadero,
California, and as I was falling asleep, I heard a deep, strong male voice:
"You have a publisher."
This would have been exciting
news, even from a disembodied voice, if I had written a new book that my agent
had submitted to a publisher for consideration. But all the books I'd written
had already been published.
Alarmed that hearing a that voice meant I was
losing my mind, I asked an inarguably sane friend if she ever heard such
voices, and she said yes, occasionally. So the disembodied voice speaking to me
may or may not have been related to my being bipolar. In any case, it was
unforgettable.
Mania is a hormonal high that
may create a surge of excitement and energy that banishes sleep. Unfortunately,
it may also bring denial that mania has struck. Characteristic symptoms include
driving recklessly and compulsive telephone calls. On the other hand, the
unusually large number of creative bipolar people suggests that mania and
hypomania can nourish creativity.
Manic: A Memoir by Terri Cheney conveys a sense of what experiencing
extreme bipolar mania is like. In he gripping story, she Cheney describes how
her bipolar brain chemistry inflicted dramatic breakdowns and led to suicide
attempts and hospitalization. But despite the obstacles, Cheney graduated from
Vassar and became a successful entertainment lawyer in Beverly Hills. Now she
is an advocate for bipolar people and bipolar causes.
Without medical intervention,
mania can ruin relationships, careers, and reputations. If a client or coworker
sees you in a manic phase, screaming at strangers on a street corner, nothing
good is likely to come of the encounter. Luckily today, medical and
psychological help are available. In a sense, this is the best time ever to be
bipolar. But, of course, it is also a dandy time not to be bipolar.
