Psychology
Bipolar disorder: highs, lows and staying well
Bipolar disorder causes episodes of depression and of mania or hypomania. With the right medicine, a steady routine and a relapse plan, most people live full lives.
27 Sept 20269 min read
Hypomania
Pronounced hy-poh-MAY-nee-uh
Also known as Hypomanic episode, Hypomanic
A milder form of mania: several days of raised or irritable mood, more energy and less need for sleep, noticeable to others but without psychosis or the need for hospital.
In Psychology
Hypomania has the same features as — raised or irritable mood, more energy, less sleep, faster talk, more ideas and plans — but in milder form. By definition it lasts at least four days and other people notice the change, but it does not cause serious breakdown at work or at home, does not need hospital and does not involve .
Because it can feel good — productive, confident, sociable — people rarely seek help for it. It is more often spotted in hindsight, when someone with mentions earlier spells of being unusually fired up. Depressive episodes plus hypomania is the pattern of bipolar II disorder.
Why it matters
Low mood in someone who has had hypomania may be part of , which is treated differently from ordinary depression. That is why a doctor asks carefully about past highs before treating low mood. Family members are often the best witnesses: tell the doctor what you have noticed.
Where this comes up
Psychology
Exercise and mental health: how movement helps depression and anxiety
Regular exercise, including brisk walking, reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety in clinical trials. It works best as part of care, not instead of it.
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Related terms
- ManiaManic episode, ManicA period of abnormally high or irritable mood with greatly increased energy, little need for sleep, racing thoughts and risky behaviour, lasting a week or more. It defines bipolar I disorder.
- Bipolar disorderBipolar affective disorder, Manic depressionA long-term condition with episodes of depression and episodes of abnormally high or irritable mood (mania or hypomania), usually lasting days to weeks, with more stable periods in between.
- DepressionClinical depression, Major depressive disorderA medical condition in which low mood or loss of interest lasts most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks, and affects sleep, energy and daily life.
- Mood stabiliserMood stabilizer, Mood stabilisersMedicines taken long term to prevent the extreme highs (mania) and lows of bipolar disorder and keep mood steadier. Lithium and sodium valproate are the best known.