Is there a way to know the difference? Like I feel good, but I also don’t know if I am manic. Like…I know like in the past if I was manic I would spend money like a madman. But I don’t feel that way, but that doesn’t mean I’m not manic. Any insight on this?
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Good write-up from Gemini:
It can be tricky to tell the difference between simply feeling good and experiencing mania or hypomania. Here’s a breakdown of key distinctions:
Feeling Good:
- Often tied to a specific positive event or situation.
- Generally doesn’t involve significant changes in your usual behavior or functioning.
- Energy levels might be higher, but you can still relax and sleep normally.
- Thoughts are usually clear and focused.
- You maintain your usual judgment and awareness of potential consequences.
- The feeling is typically temporary and proportionate to the situation.
Mania/Hypomania:
- Elevated or Irritable Mood: This goes beyond just happiness. It can be an intense euphoria, feeling “on top of the world,” or conversely, marked irritability and agitation.
- Increased Energy: A significant and sustained increase in activity levels, restlessness, or feeling “wired” even with little sleep.
- Decreased Need for Sleep: Feeling rested after significantly less sleep than usual (e.g., 3-4 hours) without feeling tired.
- Racing Thoughts: Thoughts move very quickly, often jumping from one idea to another. It can be hard for others to follow your train of thought.
- Pressured Speech: Talking very quickly and more than usual, often feeling the need to keep talking.
- Increased Goal-Directed Activity: Starting many new projects or becoming intensely focused on goals, sometimes with unrealistic plans.
- Distractibility: Difficulty concentrating; attention easily drawn to unimportant things.
- Increased Self-Esteem or Grandiosity: An inflated sense of self-confidence, believing you have special abilities or are exceptionally important.
- Impulsivity and Poor Judgment: Engaging in risky behaviors like excessive spending, reckless driving, increased sexual activity, or making unwise investments without considering the consequences.
- Changes in Behavior: Acting out of character in ways that may be unusual or inappropriate for you.
- Socially Intrusive Behavior: Becoming overly friendly or talkative to strangers.
Key Differences to Consider:
- Intensity and Duration: Feeling good is usually less intense and shorter-lived than manic or hypomanic episodes, which can last for days or weeks.
- Impact on Functioning: Mania, and sometimes hypomania, can significantly interfere with your daily life, work, relationships, and judgment. Feeling good typically doesn’t cause such disruptions.
- Awareness: During a manic episode, individuals often have poor insight and may not recognize that their behavior is unusual or problematic. With hypomania, there might be some awareness, but judgment can still be impaired. When feeling good, you’re generally aware of your state.
- Triggers: While feeling good is often linked to positive events, mania or hypomania can occur seemingly without a clear trigger or can be related to factors like sleep deprivation or medication changes.
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When did you last sleep?, eat?, take your meds?
Are you feeling like hyper thoughts racing?
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Thank you for posting this @shutterbug, it’s really helpful 
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If it’s sudden or extreme it’s suspect
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So, this happened yesterday. I slept the day before yesterday at 7:20 am, so I got plenty of rest (cause I work overnights). I made a new baked chicken recipe, and that was delicious. I did take my meds. And I don’t feel like my thoughts are racing.
@shutterbug So far, after looking at this, it seems like this was just me feeling good, and not manic. I didn’t have a lot of racing thoughts or anything of the sort.
@POET Thanks Poet for your input. I felt like this was a gradual thing because before this happened, my thoughts were racing and my blood pressure spiked, but after getting a hug from my Dad and his girlfriend, I felt a lot more calmer and a lot more peaceful. It took a little bit to get there but, I did settle down eventually. But, I will say that I didn’t know that was considered a sign of mania, so I’ll keep that in mind the next time this happens. Thank you so much!
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I am manic right now and yeah, I can tell just feeling good and being manic. I talk excessively when I’m manic and I am normally pretty quiet unless someone spark’s an interesting subject or topic. Also, I can tell when I’m manic when I wipe out my SSI check in a matter of days not weeks but days it happens because I did it somehow by buying needless things just something I wanted at the time but didn’t really need impulse buying in other words. When I am feeling good, I don’t have intrusive evil thoughts of hurting others and being paranoid or having extreme anxiety I hardly ever get depressed though on occasion usually for me its mania then I crash after about a month sometimes a few weeks but a month in severe cases.
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I have had all of these symptoms or more I can relate thanks for posting this it hit the nail on the head for me.
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no problem at all! just chiming in haha. i wish you luck with your mental health
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i feel like if i said i felt good more than 3 days in a row then my family would be genuinely worried or think im an imposter who replaced me
Wow really? I mean, I guess that kind of makes sense, but my thing is what if you like truly have a good week but didn’t stop taking your meds or eat right or any of that? Or does that happen at all for people who aren’t Schizophrenic?
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ive never had mania but my really good days generally dont continue very long. ive feared mania before but so far for a long while in meds ive never had it, only depression gets me to the point of instability
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I see. Ok, sorry I ask so many questions. I’m new to the forums if you couldn’t tell 
. So, if I ask you a question, don’t take it as me being mean or rude or even condescending, cause I genuinely want to know.
I dunno if you’ve read any of my stuff but, I can’t afford like a therapist, so I kind of use these forums as a type of therapy you can say. I just want to hear from other people, cause I could always use a second opinion about everything.
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i dont see the question as that, i dont think youve said anything mean or rude at all, its very possible to have a good week without it being mania, truthfully sometimes even mild mania is not the end of the world if its not causing trouble and destructiveness, i imagine some creative types in the world are balancing or simulating a controllable level of mania in order to increase productivity
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