Page "Bipolar disorder" Paragraph 8

Mania is the signature characteristic of bipolar disorder.

Mania is generally characterized by a distinct period of an elevated mood, which can take the form of euphoria.

People commonly experience an increase in energy and a decreased need for sleep, with many often getting as little as three or four hours of sleep per night, while others can go days without sleeping.

A person may exhibit pressured speech, with thoughts experienced as racing.

Attention span is low, and a person in a manic state may be easily distracted.

Judgment may become impaired, and sufferers may go on spending sprees or engage in behavior that is quite abnormal for them.

They may indulge in substance abuse, particularly alcohol or other depressants, cocaine or other stimulants, or sleeping pills.

Their behavior may become aggressive, intolerant, or intrusive.

People may feel out of control or unstoppable, or as if they have been " chosen " and are " on a special mission " or have other grandiose or delusional ideas.

Sexual drive may increase.

At more extreme phases of bipolar I, a person in a manic state can begin to experience psychosis, or a break with reality, where thinking is affected along with mood.

Some people in a manic state experience severe anxiety and are very irritable ( to the point of rage ), while others are euphoric and grandiose.