Hypomania

Hypomania (literally "below mania" or "less than mania") is a psychiatric condition of abnormally heightened mood and increased energy that is less severe than mania. It is characterized essentially by an apparently non-contextual elevation of mood (i.e., euphoria) compared to the person's baseline mood. It is often accompanied by increased energy, irritability, impulsivity, or disinhibited behavior. The individual with the condition may experience irritability, not necessarily less severe than full mania. According to DSM-5 criteria, hypomania is distinct from mania in that there is no significant functional impairment. Mania, by DSM-5 definition, does include significant functional impairment and may have psychotic features. Other characteristic behaviors of individuals experiencing hypomania are a very notable decrease in the need for sleep, an overall increase in energy, unusual behaviors and actions, and a markedly distinctive increase in talkativeness and confidence, commonly exhibited with a flight of creative ideas. Other symptoms may include feelings of grandiosity, distractibility, and hypersexuality. While hypomanic behavior often generates productivity and excitement, it can become troublesome if the subject engages in risky or otherwise inadvisable behaviors, and/or if the symptoms manifest themselves in ways that interfere with everyday life. When manic episodes are separated into stages of a progression according to symptomatic severity and associated features, hypomania constitutes the first stage of the syndrome, wherein the cardinal features (euphoria or heightened irritability, pressure of speech, hyperactivity, increased energy, decreased need for sleep, and flight of ideas) are most plainly evident.