Mood Disorder - Manic Episode
Symptoms
A manic episode is not a disorder in and of itself, but instead is a part of other disorders, most usually bipolar disorder.
It is characterized by a time period of an elevated, expansive or notably irritable mood, lasting for at least one week. This disorder must be sufficiently severe to cause difficulty or impairment in occupational, social, educational or other important functioning and can not be better explained by a mixed episode. Symptoms also can not be the result of substance use or abuse (alcohol, drugs, medications) or caused by a general medical condition. A majority of the following symptoms is also present:
- inflated self-esteem or grandiosity
- decreased need for sleep (e.g., feels rested after only 3 hours of sleep)
- more talkative than usual or pressure to keep talking
- flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing
- attention is easily drawn to unimportant or irrelevant items
- increase in goal-directed activity (either socially, at work or school, or sexually) or psychomotor agitation
- excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for painful consequences (e.g., engaging in unrestrained buying sprees, sexual indiscretions, or foolish business investments)
Criteria summarized from:
American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fourth edition. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
