Am I Manic

@utopia Still up so here for you if you want to talk

Hi @utopia,

I don't think I've ever had mania. It might be hard to tell if you have it on not. But I think that if you can do a lot during the day, lots of reading, being extra positive, being passionate about new things and then fall into bed at night exhausted and sleep through the night, then I doubt it's mania.

Not that I am an expert.

But I would say that the sleeping is the key factor.

My psychiatrist asked me all those kind of questions, too, back at our very first appointment. But I just said 'no' to all of them. I remember she really had a very keen interest to know if I ever had a lot of energy and stayed up all night!

I said "Look, it sounds very pleasant, but no, that's never happened to me."

She never mentioned it again.

Let us know how you are going, @utopia. xx

@utopia I hope you managed to get some sleep and get to work.

From my understanding psychs will see things in terms of their training and if you hang around them long enough they could slap a label on anyone, but maybe it is the better ones who refrain from being hasty about it.

I had a young lady (social work family therapy intake) on the phone ask me if I was not getting any sleep and said that was a sign of guilt. It was in the middle of all the copy cat suicides and I really did not think I caused them all as my connections with those people were all unique & multifaceted. I thought "not really" but still have to put with less than stellar interpretations of my behaviours to fit narrow world views.

A lot of people are interested in Aboriginal issues these days. Its part of the reconciliation movement that if people are genuine they need to open their minds to these contemporary current affairs. Yesterday I got 2 books out on Indigenous issues. I also found a book in the library called "Sane" by Emma Young. I reccomend it. Her dad was nueroscientist and she a health science reporter.

There is a danger that insurance companies might want to do the legal eagle thing and prove culpability to prevent them from making a substantial payout. Dont let that make you mad.

Mamma mia .. if only I were paid what I was worth .. One lady-student who became a teacher after she borrowed my piano said I should have charged $80 ph 10 years ago ...whatever .. after hub got his doctorate they went interstate to start an aquatic farm ..

Take care Bella

Glad your are ok. @utopia a little tentativeness is good .. you know how to use quotation marks...

but you have so much to offer, dont doubt too much.

@utopia Good that you got some sleep and made it to work. Take it easy with yourself today. Try not to doubt yourself When you feel so connected to something (we both know how that feels) what you see, hear, feel etc. can feel so real because it is so powerful in your own mind. I don't believe that anyone can judge what they have not witnessed, dealt with or feel connected to. For some people it is a stronger connection or relationship with God (or a god), some with their indigenous ancestors, some with a family member or friend that has passed away. No-one has the right to dismiss these feelings, visions or states of mind as, although they can try to walk in that person's shoes, they cannot walk in that person's body and soul.

I believe that you are unique and have a very deep connection to yourself and others around you. You DO NOT need to change that and you DO NOT need to doubt yourself.

Thinking of you today

Love Zoe

Hi @utopia, I agree with @Sahara that sleep is a key factor in determining mania. More generally, if you have increased energy to be involved in activities which cause dysfunction in your usual routine (particularly sleep) then that may be hypomania, but only if it lasts for less than a week. Note that the important point here is 'dysfunction'. If these activities are not causing any problems with your usual routines then you most likely are not hypomanic. You may have already done this, but keeping a mood chart can be very helpful for the diagnostic process.

In my case, hypomania severely affected my usual routine. For example, I slept much less, I was awake most of the night, my mind would race all of the day, I had a really intense drive to pursue certain activities (which I couldn't focus on during daylight hours because of my racing thoughts), I had an extreme sense of wellbeing (which was actually very scary in hindsight), and I had increased anxiety from the drive to get things done. Needless to say, my life was quite dysfunctional.

In my experience some psychiatrists do seem to want to label a person very quickly. I think they should see a person at least a couple of times before making a final diagnosis. Also, I think a second opinion with another psychiatrist can be very beneficial. It wasn't until I had a complete review with another psychiatrist that I came to accept my bipolar diagnosis.

I think we know within ourselves whether we have a problem or not. You obviously don't want an incorrect diagnosis, but it may be useful to consider the psychiatrist's perspective on the off chance that they have something constructive to offer. Whatever the case, please don't worry about it too much. A diagnosis (or potential diagnosis) can seem very scary, but it is really just a way to identify the treatment which can improve your life.

All the best, AF