Posted by Viridis on August 22, 2003, at 3:17:58
In reply to Re: Hypomania Question what is wrong with it??, posted by jlo820 on August 21, 2003, at 13:09:44
It seems like the extent to which "hypomania" is considered negative is quite subjective. If someone is "hypomanic" in a way that causes them to overspend, speak inappropriately, feel invincible, act in ways that are harmful to themselves or others etc. then obviously it's a problem. But at that point, my impression is that many pdocs would characterize this as full-blown mania.
My pdoc has commented that sometimes I seem a bit "hypomanic", but after questioning me in detail and getting to know me, seems quite convinced that these episodes are not dangerous and may even be beneficial in terms of productivity etc. Certainly, I've never had a period of elevated mood that's caused me to do anything really reckless or harmful -- instead, I may finish an overdue project, get very involved in a hobby, write something fairly inspired, be especially enthusiastic, etc. I may be more outspoken than usual, but not in an outrageous way. The main downside is that I tend to sleep less, which can end up in exhaustion after a while. But then I generally just sleep a bit longer than usual for a day or two to catch up.
My pdoc also commented that one of his colleagues seems "perpetually hypomanic", but did so with reference to this person's high level of productivity, and didn't seem to see it as a negative thing at all.
I guess the biggest concern is that if a person cycles between lows and "hypomanic" highs, the highs may become too high at some point and erupt into true mania. In my case, I suspect that the fact this has never happened during my long history of mental treatment, coupled with my use of some meds that are considered mild mood stabilizers, has led my pdoc to consider me pretty safe. He did suggest a low dose of Depakote early on, but when I refused (due to concerns of cognitive dulling, weight gain, etc.), he didn't push the issue, and hasn't brought it up since.
The whole bipolar issue strikes me as pretty subjective once you move outside the realm of "true" manic depression (bipolar I). Of course, I'm not an expert, but it sure seems as though "bipolar" of one type or another is a very trendy diagnosis right now -- I wonder what they'll be calling some of these conditions in a few years?
poster:Viridis
thread:252623
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030818/msgs/253009.html