Mental Health Codexery

Hypomania

A less severe manic state without psychotic features or functional impairment.

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Hypomania is a psychiatric condition of abnormally heightened mood and increased energy that is less severe than mania.[1] A person's mood during hypomania is elevated in a way that seems unrelated to their situation, often described as euphoria.[1]

Key facts and history

The term hypomania literally means "below mania" or "less than mania".[1] German neuro-psychiatrist Emanuel Ernst Mendel introduced hypomania as a specific type of mania in 1881.[2] According to DSM-5 criteria, a hypomanic episode lasts four or more days in a row for most of the day.[3] During the 1960s and 1970s, more precise operational criteria for hypomania were formulated.[2]

A diagnosis of bipolar II disorder requires that a patient has experienced at least one hypomanic episode and at least one major depressive episode, both meeting full diagnostic criteria.[4] Cyclothymia involves ongoing mood swings that alternate between hypomanic and depressive symptoms, but these symptoms do not reach the threshold for a manic or major depressive episode.[5] The absence of psychotic features and a lower level of functional impairment are what separate hypomania from mania.[6] To manage acute hypomanic episodes and prevent their return, antimanic medications are prescribed, typically for a duration of two to five years.[7]

What the cited sources add

The Psychology Today account notes that hypomania highlights the fuzzy line between normal positive experiences and patterns requiring treatment.[3] People often describe hypomania as a state where they feel more productive and creative than usual.[3] The bpHope guide states that hypomania creates a period of high energy that can lead to impulsive or risky choices if left unmanaged.[8] Researchers found that risk-taking behaviors are common during hypomanic episodes, according to the bpHope guide.[8]

The BehaveNet source specifies that diagnosis of bipolar II disorder requires neither a manic nor a mixed episode, but does require at least one episode of hypomania in addition to an episode of major depression.[9] The BehaveNet source on cyclothymia describes it as a condition of continued mood fluctuations between hypomania and depression of lower intensity than in bipolar disorder.[10]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Hypomania" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "History and Etymology for hypomania", www.merriam-webster.com Merriam Webster; Sartorius, "The ICD-10 Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders Clinical descriptions and diagnostic guidelines", www.who.int World Health Organization, p. 91, 95 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Hypomania" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Emanuel Mendel (1881) Die Manie, p. 38: "Hypomanie", Urban & Schwarzenberg, Vienna and Leipzig; Thomas, "The many forms of bipolar disorder: a modern look at an old illness", Journal of Affective Disorders, April 2004, p. 3–8; Baldwin et al. (1902) Dictionary of Philosophy and Psychology, p. 101: "Monomania", Macmillan: New York; London; James Johnson, M.D., Ed. (1843) "Notices of Some New Works: Dr. H. Johnson on Mental Disorders", The Medical-Chirurgical Review, Vol. 39, p. 460: Hypomania; Henry Johnson (1843) On the Arrangement and Nomencl en.wikipedia.org
  3. Episode, "Hypomania Psychology Today", www.psychologytoday.com. facts only, no text reused. psychologytoday.com
  4. Wikipedia, "Hypomania" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Bipolar II Disorder", BehaveNet (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Hypomania" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Cyclothymia", BehaveNet Clinical Capsules (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Hypomania" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Goodwin, "Hypomania: What's in a name?", British Journal of Psychiatry, 2 January 2018, p. 94–95; "Bipolar Disorder: The Management of Bipolar Disorder in Adults, Children and Adolescents, in Primary and Secondary Care.", British Psychological Society; Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2006 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Hypomania" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Hypomania and mania", NHS (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. "The Ultimate Guide to Handling Hypomania", bpHope.com, 2023-06-06. facts only, no text reused. bphope.com
  9. "Bipolar II Disorder", BehaveNet. facts only, no text reused. behavenet.com
  10. "Cyclothymia", BehaveNet Clinical Capsules. facts only, no text reused. behavenet.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Hypomania (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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