Mania

Mania ( MAY-nee-ə; also known as manic syndrome) is a psychiatric behavioral syndrome defined as a state of abnormally elevated mood with hyperactivity and risky behavior. During a manic episode, an individual will experience rapidly changing emotions and moods, highly influenced by surrounding stimuli. Although mania is often conceived of as a "mirror image" to depression, the heightened mood can be euphoric as well as dysphoric. The symptoms of mania include elevated mood (either euphoric or irritable), flight of ideas, pressure of speech, increased energy, decreased need for sleep, and hyperactivity. Persistent irritability is a symptom of both mania and depression. In severe manic episodes (characteristic of bipolar I disorder), psychotic symptoms may manifest, including delusions (such as grandiose delusions and paranoid delusions) or hallucinations. The prevalence of psychosis in manic episodes is 57%; the rate in depressive episodes is 13%. Other psychotic symptoms include fragmentation of behavior and catatonia. For context, the rate of schizophrenia in bipolar disorder is 8%. More than 5% of the general human population has experienced mania or hypomania in some degree.