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Q: Hypomania-How Affects Functioning?
I am a third year psychology student from Ireland, and am attempting
to do an assignment on Bipolar II Disorder. I am having some difficulty
finding out how hypomanic episodes afects a persons everyday level of
functioning. Also, I was curious to know if the biological characteristics
of the disorder e.g. some psychomotor agitation has severe effects on their
everyday life. I fully appreciate that you cannot give me reems of
information in your answer but any help or guidence would be greatly
appreciated. Your site has already helped me a great deal, thanks!
Dear Martin --
I love the idea that somebody is writing an assignment on this topic. Re:
how hypomanic episodes affect a person's everyday level of functioning:
it's a spectrum thing, just like what you read about the spectrum from plain
depression to full bipolar I. Some people with very mild symptoms actually
get a lot of stuff done (e.g. people catching up for weeks of missed classes or
papers, from when they were in the depressed phase -- that's pretty
common). As it gets more dramatic, people accelerate in their thinking to
the point where they can't really control it, and beyond that, function falls
apart. My favorite quote on the subject is that one you read by
Jamison:
"The clinical reality of manic-depressive
illness is far more lethal and infinitely more complex than the current
psychiatric nomenclature, bipolar disorder, would suggest. Cycles of
fluctuating moods and energy levels serve as a background to constantly
changing thoughts, behaviors, and feelings. The illness encompasses the
extremes of human experience. Thinking can range from florid psychosis, or
"madness," to patterns of unusually clear, fast and creative
associations, to retardation so profound that no meaningful mental activity
can occur. Behavior can be frenzied, expansive, bizarre, and seductive, or it
can be seclusive, sluggish, and dangerously suicidal. Moods may swing
erratically between euphoria and despair or irritability and desperation. The
rapid oscillations and combinations of such extremes result in an intricately
textured clinical picture." (Kay
Jamison, Ph.D.)
Good luck and spread the work, Martin.
Dr. Phelps
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