Moods and Behavior of a Manic Episode

A manic episode is one half of bipolar disorder. It is the episodic cycle sometimes referred to as the highs that manic depressives experience. According to the National Institutes of Mental Health [NIMH], mood changes and behavioral changes characterize a manic episode.

The mood changes that commonly occur are feeling unnaturally happy, being highly optimistic and extremely gregarious. This may include magical thinking, or believing one has special powers. A person having a manic episode may also be very irritable and agitated. They are sometimes "jumpy" and impulsive.

The behavioral changes include racing thoughts that are sometimes referred to as a Flight of Ideas. Talking at an accelerated rate, as if trying to express all these thoughts all at once, is not unusual. When manic it is easy to be distracted from one task by another, less important or unrelated activity. For instance, if you are cleaning the kitchen and need to go to the utility room for a cleaning cloth you may decide to organize the utility room right that moment since you're in that room anyway. Somehow, you never make it back to cleaning the kitchen because another task calls your attention away from your original goal.

Another behavior when manic can be to take on more tasks than you have time to finish, often because you think you can do anything, even when it's unrealistic to expect success. The need for and ability to sleep decreases for many people in a manic episode.

The impulsive moods can lead to self destructive behavior such as spending beyond one's means. Engaging in excessive or risky sexual behavior is another possibility. This can be one reason some people with manic depression have self esteem problems, they think of themselves as having a character flaw for engaging in these activities when having a manic episode.

When I'm manic I will start multiple crafts or gardening projects. Then a depressive episode will cycle around and those projects go unfinished. By the time I'm manic again, I am no longer interested in the projects I started during the previous manic episode.

The Depression and Bipolar Alliance [DBSA] lists some of the same symptoms as NIMH, but they add or expound on others. They include "increased physical activity...and energy." Behaving in an aggressive manner is another component of a manic episode they mention. In severe episodes, usually when the mania has been untreated, the manic episode may lead to delusional thinking and behavior or hallucinations.

A manic episode does not have to exhibit all of the moods or behavior described above. Just as each person is different, the way their manic episode may manifest itself can be different.