What Does it Mean to be Manic: 10 Signs

The word manic is a catchy phrase many young social media users use on their social platforms to describe their personalities. But what you might think is cool is not, so what does it mean to be manic?

Commonly, a manic or manic episode person will have a change in behaviour and state of mind. So why do people boast about it? Is it a disability or a state of mind? What does it mean to be manic? Read on to find out!

What does it Mean to be Manic?

The manic is a state where a person will have high energy, enthusiasm, and euphoria ¹over a situation in a period, when there will be an extreme change in the mental state in any location, from workspace, school, to college, anywhere.

Now that you know what does it mean to be manic, let us discuss some intricacies:

Manic and Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder is manic depression². Mania is the main feature of bipolar disorder. Unless manic depression can’t be analyzed with bipolar disorder, during the early stage of manic episodes or bipolar disorder, they will find a sense of seductive.

But currently, people feel normal with this behaviour, for instance, being more open, funny, and sometimes crazy. The exact reason for bipolar disorder ³is indefinite, but family history may be a reason.

It may create more possibilities of getting bipolar disorder if we have a family history of the sickness. Brain frame may also be a significant reason, but there isn’t sufficient study to determine this.

If you have already had an episode, it is an advanced risk of mania or hypomania⁴. Your risk may also rise if you retain bipolar illness and cannot bring your medicines as your doctor stipulates.

What is a Manic Episode?

Do not confuse what does it mean to be manic with a manic episode. A manic episode is a periodical duration where the person will have two or more symptoms at a time; in that situation reaching mental health professional is crucial.

However better if we can have a good conversation with a loved one or with parents because they only have the outer view of behaviours better than ourselves.

Manic vs. Mania

What it mean to be manic is different from mania. Maniac is a word used to describe a patient with a manic episode. Both have the same meaning, psychologically unsettled person, especially a destructive individual. Even it can be both positive and negative.

What are the Signs of Manic Episodes?

American Psychiatric Association addresses a diagnostic and statistical manual for mental disorders; they have figured out that manic episodes or bipolar disorders will occur once a week.

The manic episode has many symptoms of mania, which will likely to have breath shortness, chest pain, and bleeding. These are some of the physical condition symptoms a manic episode can feel.

1. Sleeping Time Will Reduce

Many people will have the habit of staying awake till early at 3 a.m., and after a few hours, 6 or 7 a.m., get ready to work. They will decrease the need for sleep, a common cause of manic episodes. Sleeping less than 5-6 hours can also lead to some other health issues, mental illness.

2. Multitasking Personality

In manic episodes, people will have exotic energy they like to work extra. They will blast their power of energy to multitask and commonly be extra productive and move forward to accomplish their work before the deadline is set for them.

3. Speaks Louder and Chit Chatting More

We have a friend who is more hyper at times, and we can feel them like they are some other person inside them. Changed from talking with careful words, but now changed to giving a rap version of speech like rapid speech. Mysterious in their behaviour.

4. Gets Distracted Easily

Some of us are commonly distracted during class hours due to long lectures and when someone calls their loved one’s name, some special songs, external noise, and so on.

But symptoms of mania disorder will mostly be distracted with clang association with instant phones, cones, and mega clowns⁵. It may sound like rhyming, and people with bipolar disorder will get distracted by this stuff.

5. Desire for Sex

Bipolar disorder will have hypersexuality. They include uncharacteristic sexual behaviour, seeking sex workers, searching pornographic websites, and many more.

6. Risky Behaviors

Many will risk their savings or money include the risk including gambling, overspending so on. More often, manic episodes will like to explore all kinds of risky things, which may lead to accidents, will bring depression or some other weird stuff that most of us do not like to do so.

For instance, we don’t go bungee jumping and don’t go into the deep sea due to fear. But in a manic episode, a person will like to do this stuff.

This kind of risky behaviour will occur during bipolar I disorder and push to depressive symptoms but the danger for the mental health conditions.

7. Rapid Thinking

Easily notice that many will think spontaneously and have thousands of thoughts simultaneously, like a car race. For example, at the same time, they will think:

• Can I jump into the ocean with sharks?
• Did I feed my cat?
• Who is walking over there? 

They risk their mental health condition, one of the major mania symptoms. They will have non-logical thoughts which don’t make sense sometimes, it will look like jumping over thoughts.

8. Grandiosity

The exaggerated sense will like to have more power, knowledge, and or identity. This will be a case of manic episodes and hypomanic episodes.

They will sometimes be too dramatic or be in their imaginative world, they will say something like let us move fast or else the report will ask for our interview. But there won’t be any incident or thing going to happen over there like that. It’s pure imagination.

9. Less Self Confidence

The mostly manic episode patient will have less confidence. Sometimes they don’t believe in their capability to do their work, and they seek others’ help.

Even for small issues or work, they look for their family and a friend or a mentor to guide them.

10. Suicide Thoughts

In a few cases, patients with manic episodes or bipolar disorder have no hope in their lives, and they feel like they are worthless since something is affecting their mental health, and even that may result in suicide, it is a warning sign of manic episodes.

But it is a serious problem to see immediate action over it with the help of the best doctor’s advice or mental health professional for the risky situation.

These are the signs of mania and hypomania, and other related disorders. But of course, even normal people will have this kind of thought but on a limit. If in the case when sometimes it may lead reach the maximum limit of it.

Some external and internal environment and lifestyle changes will easily lead to this manic episode.

Symptoms of Hypomania

In bipolar disorder and related problems, there are many symptoms. Mostly there will be unpredictable mood swings, and behavioural changes might result in depression, mental health issues, and mental illness.

Let’s see the symptoms of mania and hypomania:

• Bipolar I Disorder

In a manic episode, the patient will feel one of the symptoms of mania or any mental disorders. For instance, they will not live in reality and have their imagination, like psychosis.

• Bipolar II Disorder

In this case, the patient will have symptoms with either a major depressive episode or a hypomanic episode; however, they never experience a manic episode. Then that is bipolar ii disorder.

• Cyclothymic Disorder 

In Cyclothymia⁶, the patient will have periods of touching low, observed by eras of intense pleasure and excitement (hypomania) when you don’t have much sleep and feel like having a lot of energy.

The periods of intense mood do not last extended enough and are not fierce enough to be interpreted as clinical despair.

• Other Types

Bipolar and interconnected disorders are caused by particular pills, liquor, or medical circumstances, like Cushing’s disease, stroke, or multiple sclerosis.

Mania and Hypomania

Mania and hypomania are similar, but different from what does it mean to be manic, but they are two different episodes with similar signs. Mania is more additional intense than hypomania.

That causes better observable situations at the job, academy, social activities, and relationship tribulations. Mania may even initiate a break over reality (psychosis) and require hospitalization.

These two manic and hypomanic episodes comprise more of the below symptoms:

• Abnormally positive, or weirdness
• Raised movement, fuel, or madness
• An inflated feeling of well-being and self-confidence (euphoria)
• Declined need for sleep
• Extraordinary talkativeness
• Racing ideas
• Distractibility
• Bad decision-making — for instance, going on purchasing binges, bearing sexual risks, or creating foolish acquisitions.

How are Hypomania and Mania Treated?

Now that we have discussed what does it mean to be manic, let’s delve deeper.

To deal with mania and hypomania, the medic most probably prescribes psychotherapy and a remedy. The treatment can include mood stabilizers and antipsychotics. It may require testing several remedies before the doctor realizes the right blend to treat the signs effectively.

Significantly, you accept the prescription as the doctor stipulates. Even if carry side effects from the pills, it may be harmful to stop consuming the medicine without the doctor’s oversight.

If in case having issues with side effects, speak with your medic. They may be able to swap to a different medicine category that is so hard on the body. Hypomania is usually managed without medicine.

Nutritional lifestyle practices can support, such as:

• Maintaining a balanced, healthy diet.
• Exercise regularly.
• Proper sleeping habits and prioritizing downtime.
• Keeping a diary that comments on any mood shifts or transformations indicated by treasured ones.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How does a manic person act?

A manic episode, often known as mania, is characterized by excessive energy. You may speak faster than normal, notice your mind racing, engage in a variety of activities, and believe you do not require as much sleep as other people.

2. Is manic good or bad?

Mania can be particularly dangerous if not adequately managed and not diagnosed.

3. Can manic people fall in love?

Individuals with bipolar disorder possess the ability to experience the same human experiences as everyone else, such as falling in love.

Bottomline

Now that you know what does it mean to be manic, you can also move forward with the diagnosis or treatment. Doesnt matter if it’s you or a loved one, make sure to stay strong, this period too shall pass!

Stay strong and healthy!

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3. McIntyre, Roger S., et al. “Bipolar disorders.” The Lancet 396.10265 (2020): 1841-1856. ↩︎
4. Gill, Nav, Adam Bayes, and Gordon Parker. “A review of antidepressant-associated hypomania in those diagnosed with unipolar depression—risk factors, conceptual models, and management.” Current Psychiatry Reports 22 (2020): 1-8. ↩︎
5. Pham, Linh P., et al. “Food intake, growth, and expression of neuropeptides regulating appetite in clown anemonefish (Amphiprion ocellaris) exposed to predicted climate changes.” General and Comparative Endocrinology 304 (2021): 113719. ↩︎
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Last Updated on July 26, 2024 by Sathi Chakraborty, MSc Biology