A manic episode is defined by the DSM-5 as “a distinct period of abnormally & persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood and abnormally and persistently increased activity or energy lasting at least 1 week and present most of the day, nearly every day.”

 

 

 

There are several signs and symptoms of a manic episode:

 

Inflated self-esteem or grandiosity

 

 

Decreased need for sleep

 

More talkative than usual/pressure to keep talking (pressured speech)

 

 

Flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing

 

Distractability

 

This symptom can very quickly become annoying…

 

 

 

Increase in goal-oriented activity (socially, at work or school, or sexually) or psychomotor agitation (purposeless non-goal-directed activity)

 

 

Excessive involvement in activities that have a high potential for painful consequences such as:

 

Engaging in unrestrained buying sprees,

 

 

 

sexual indiscretions,

 

or foolish business investments.

 

 

A lot of people may assume that mania looks incredibly happy or super emotional like this:

 

 

or…

 

or even this…

 

 

Manic episodes are incredibly complex. They can feel different based on who you ask or even when you ask.

An episode may be euphoric or it may be dysphoric; these are completely different experiences even if they both are both labeled as “mania.”

So, mania has many faces!

 

 

Sure, mania may for some “feel good”… but it may also feel like this…

 

 

or this…

 

or this…

 

As for once the manic episode is over, there is one GIF that pretty much sums it up for me: