Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat It IsCausesSymptomsComplicationsMania in ChildrenDiagnosisTreatmentCoping
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What It Is
Causes
Symptoms
Complications
Mania in Children
Diagnosis
Treatment
Coping
Mania is commonly associated withbipolar disorder, but people without these disorders can also experience mania. When this happens, it means there is another cause or factor contributing to it, such as the effects of a substance or a medical condition.
This article covers the definition of mania and discusses its symptoms and complications. It also looks at how mania is diagnosed and treated.
Verywell / Theresa Chiechi
What Is a Manic Episode?
During a manic episode, a person can experience increased energy, creativity, and feelings of euphoria. It’s common to feel confident and like you can accomplish anything. There may, however, also be irritability and loss of touch with reality.
Manic episodes can have various triggers, including changes in sleep patterns, recreational drug use, seasonal changes, and stress at work or home.
Causes of mania in bipolar disorder are not entirely known, but may include a combination of:
Physical conditions that have been associated with mania include:
Research suggests that the neurotransmitters noradrenaline and dopamine may play a role in the switch to a manic episode.
What Is Bipolar Disorder?Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that causes a person to shift between episodes of depression and mania. In the past, it was known as manic-depression.
What Is Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that causes a person to shift between episodes of depression and mania. In the past, it was known as manic-depression.
Symptoms of Mania
To be classified as mania, symptoms must persist for at least one week, lead to difficulties with functioning, or require hospitalization.
Racing Thoughts
If you feel like your thoughts are racing, repeating, or distracting you, take note.The same is true if someone else tells you they can’t keep their thoughts together or that their brain is going miles a minute.
Decreased Need for Sleep
During manic episodes, there is a marked decreased need for sleep. In turn, sleep disturbances can escalate the severity of mania.
If someone you love isn’t sleeping well, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are experiencing mania, though. There are many reasons someone’s sleep habits may change.
Increased Talkativeness or Fast Speech
While some people naturally speak more frequently or more quickly than others, people with mania only do this during a manic episode.It is a noticeable difference from their regular speech behavior, but others may be able to detect the change more readily. Speaking more loudly than usual is another mania symptom.
Euphoria
As a symptom of mania, euphoria looks like elevated and expansive emotions, including excessive and unreasonable happiness, hopefulness, and excitement.
These symptoms, importantly, are not the direct result of consuming substances such as a drug that can be abused, a medication, or another type of treatment.For example, substances such as alcohol and cocaine can cause mania. Prescription antidepressants can also have this effect, even in people without bipolar disorder.Electroconvulsive therapy, which is sometimes used to treat drug-resistant major depression, has also been known to cause mania in some people.
Euphoria at first may feel like a relief if you also experience depression, but the good feelings quickly escalate to uncontrollable and uncomfortable levels.
Increased Energy or Activity
Increases in goal-oriented activities (social, academic, work, or sexual) and psychomotor activity in the form of agitation are characteristic of manic episodes.This increased energy or activity can also contribute to sleep issues.
Feeling Jumpy or Wired
This may be tied to feelings of anxiety and irritability, increased energy and activity, and feelings of restlessness paired with tirelessness. It can present as repetitive behaviors in some cases.
People may seem agitated and perform repetitive movements such as fidgeting or pacing to soothe their tension. In some cases, the person may become aggressive.
Higher Libido
Increases in sex drive and desire (libido), as well as associated sexual distress, may also be present in manic episodes. While this may seem harmless or even positive on the surface, it can result in risky sexual behaviors or sexual indiscretions.
Engaging in Risky Behaviors
Risky behaviors associated with mania are those that have a high potential for negative or painful outcomes.They may include:
How to Seek HelpIf you are having suicidal thoughts, dial988to contact the988 Suicide & Crisis Lifelineand connect with a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call911.
How to Seek Help
If you are having suicidal thoughts, dial988to contact the988 Suicide & Crisis Lifelineand connect with a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call911.
When a manic episode ends, it’s common to feel exhausted, depressed, and even disappointed because the feelings of elevated self-esteem and euphoria that come with the mania are easy to miss. You may feel like your goals are hopeless after your mania passes, but with treatment, you can work to stabilize these ups and downs.
Mania is not something to be ignored. Leaving symptoms untreated can be dangerous, and mania doesn’t just happen outside of a bipolar condition. If you or someone you love experiences mania, talk to your doctor, who can help with diagnosing the underlying cause to begin the appropriate treatment and reduce the risk of complications.
Suicide is the most severe consequence of untreated bipolar disorder.
If a friend or loved one has auditory or visualhallucinations(seeing or hearing something that is not there) or showsparanoiaor other delusional behaviors (believing something that isn’t real), contact a mental health professional immediately. These may be serious symptoms of mania.
Types of Psychosis and Their Causes
Recognizing mania in children requires having an understanding of the child’s baseline moods and behaviors. Even so, the symptoms of mania can be difficult to distinguish from those ofattention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD).
What’s the Difference Between Mania and ADHD?Mania occurs in episodes, whereas ADHD is a chronic condition.
What’s the Difference Between Mania and ADHD?
Mania occurs in episodes, whereas ADHD is a chronic condition.
Some common mania symptoms in children include:
If your child is showing signs of mania ordepression, talk to their pediatrician or your family doctor as soon as possible. Moods and behaviors often return to baseline after manic episodes.Keep in mind, however, that bipolar disorder usually is not diagnosed in young children. Researchers believe the condition can only be reliably diagnosed in children and adolescents older than 10.
You and your doctor will discuss symptoms, including how long episodes typically last. Next, your doctor will order tests—such as a thyroid function test and urinalysis—to rule out other potential contributions to your symptoms.
In order for a manic episode to be diagnosed as part of bipolar disorder, a person must have three of the following symptoms persisting to a significant degree, meaning there has to be a noticeable change in behavior including:
The mood disturbance has to be so severe that it causes marked impairment in your social or occupational functioning or necessitates hospitalization to prevent harm to yourself or others. Also, it has to be determined that the mania episode is not the result of a substance- or medication-induced disorder.
Symptoms of mania can be managed with appropriate treatment. Some people may find it easier to manage mania with a combination of medications and psychotherapy.
Medications
The type of medication your doctor prescribes depends on the underlying cause of your mania. For example, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are antidepressants used for treating depression, but they are used with caution or avoided because they may trigger mania or worsen mood cycling.
Medications that may be prescribed include:
Therapy
Psychotherapy focuses on supporting patients in managing their illness and developing healthier coping skills. It can also help patients and their family members better navigate stressful periods and triggers.
Common types of therapy used to treat bipolar disorder and the associated mania include:
Research has found that bipolar disorder-specific psychotherapies, when used together with medications, consistently show advantages over medications alone on symptom severity and the risk of relapse.
Lifestyle Changes
You can also make some other positive changes that can help manage mania and bipolar disorder, including:
How to Fix a Sedentary Lifestyle
Coping With Mania
If you experience manic episodes, coping with stressors and reducing overall stress levels can help. This may mean working to remove or reduce the stressful things in your life and learning how to manage your response to stressors that can’t be eliminated.
Some other helpful strategies may include:
Summary
22 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Smedler E, Sparding T, Hattab A, Sellgren CM, Landén M.Reporting trigger factors for (hypo)manic episodes in bipolar disorder: association with personality and prognosis.Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2020;141(6):534-540. doi:10.1111/acps.13174National Institute of Mental Health.Bipolar disorder.Korgaonkar MS, Erlinger M, Breukelaar IA, et al.Amygdala activation and connectivity to emotional processing distinguishes asymptomatic patients with bipolar disorders and unipolar depression.Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2019;4(4):361-370. doi:10.1016/j.bpsc.2018.08.012Kurita M.Noradrenaline plays a critical role in the switch to a manic episode and treatment of a depressive episode.Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2016;12:2373-2380. doi:10.2147/NDT.S109835National Alliance on Mental Illness.Bipolar disorder.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.DSM-5 changes: implications for child serious emotional disturbance. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US).Lima IMM, Peckham AD, Johnson SL.Cognitive deficits in bipolar disorders: implications for emotion.Clin Psychol Rev. 2018;59:126-136. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2017.11.006Marzani G, Price Neff A.Bipolar disorders: Evaluation and treatment.Am Fam Physician. 2021;103(4):227-239Elias A, Thomas N, Sackeim HA.Electroconvulsive therapy in mania: A review of 80 years of clinical experience.Am J Psychiatry. 2021;178(3):229-239. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.20030238Yatham LN, Kennedy SH, Parikh SV, et al.Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) and International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) 2018 guidelines for the management of patients with bipolar disorder.Bipolar Disord. 2018;20(2):97-170. doi:10.1111/bdi.12609Child Mind Institute.Is it ADHD or bipolar disorder?TeensHealth from Nemours.Bipolar disorder.Findling RL, Zhou X, George P, Chappell PB.Diagnostic trends and prescription patterns in disruptive mood dysregulation disorder and bipolar disorder.J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2022;61(3):434-445. doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2021.05.016Gitlin MJ.Antidepressants in bipolar depression: An enduring controversy.Int J Bipolar Disord. 2018;6(1):25. doi:10.1186/s40345-018-0133-9American Psychological Association.What is cognitive behavioral therapy?Reinares M, Bonnín CM, Hidalgo-Mazzei D, Sánchez-Moreno J, Colom F, Vieta E.The role of family interventions in bipolar disorder: A systematic review.Clin Psychol Rev. 2016;43:47-57. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2015.11.010American Psychological Association.Psychotherapy: Understanding group therapy.Afshari B, Omidi A, Ahmadvand A.Effects of dialectical behavior therapy on executive functions, emotion regulation, and mindfulness in bipolar disorder.J Contemp Psychother. 2020;50:123-31. doi:10.1007/s10879-019-09442-7Novick DM, Swartz HA.Evidence-based psychotherapies for bipolar disorder.Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ). 2019;17(3):238-248. doi:10.1176/appi.focus.20190004Bauer IE, Gálvez JF, Hamilton JE, et al.Lifestyle interventions targeting dietary habits and exercise in bipolar disorder: a systematic review.J Psychiatr Res. 2016;74:1-7. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2015.12.006Łojko D, Stelmach-Mardas M, Suwalska A.Is diet important in bipolar disorder?Psychiatr Pol. 2018;52(5):783-795. English, Polish. doi:10.12740/PP/OnlineFirst/78703Lewis KS, Gordon-Smith K, Forty L, et al.Sleep loss as a trigger of mood episodes in bipolar disorder: individual differences based on diagnostic subtype and gender.Br J Psychiatry. 2017;211(3):169-174. doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.117.202259
22 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Smedler E, Sparding T, Hattab A, Sellgren CM, Landén M.Reporting trigger factors for (hypo)manic episodes in bipolar disorder: association with personality and prognosis.Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2020;141(6):534-540. doi:10.1111/acps.13174National Institute of Mental Health.Bipolar disorder.Korgaonkar MS, Erlinger M, Breukelaar IA, et al.Amygdala activation and connectivity to emotional processing distinguishes asymptomatic patients with bipolar disorders and unipolar depression.Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2019;4(4):361-370. doi:10.1016/j.bpsc.2018.08.012Kurita M.Noradrenaline plays a critical role in the switch to a manic episode and treatment of a depressive episode.Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2016;12:2373-2380. doi:10.2147/NDT.S109835National Alliance on Mental Illness.Bipolar disorder.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.DSM-5 changes: implications for child serious emotional disturbance. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US).Lima IMM, Peckham AD, Johnson SL.Cognitive deficits in bipolar disorders: implications for emotion.Clin Psychol Rev. 2018;59:126-136. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2017.11.006Marzani G, Price Neff A.Bipolar disorders: Evaluation and treatment.Am Fam Physician. 2021;103(4):227-239Elias A, Thomas N, Sackeim HA.Electroconvulsive therapy in mania: A review of 80 years of clinical experience.Am J Psychiatry. 2021;178(3):229-239. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.20030238Yatham LN, Kennedy SH, Parikh SV, et al.Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) and International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) 2018 guidelines for the management of patients with bipolar disorder.Bipolar Disord. 2018;20(2):97-170. doi:10.1111/bdi.12609Child Mind Institute.Is it ADHD or bipolar disorder?TeensHealth from Nemours.Bipolar disorder.Findling RL, Zhou X, George P, Chappell PB.Diagnostic trends and prescription patterns in disruptive mood dysregulation disorder and bipolar disorder.J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2022;61(3):434-445. doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2021.05.016Gitlin MJ.Antidepressants in bipolar depression: An enduring controversy.Int J Bipolar Disord. 2018;6(1):25. doi:10.1186/s40345-018-0133-9American Psychological Association.What is cognitive behavioral therapy?Reinares M, Bonnín CM, Hidalgo-Mazzei D, Sánchez-Moreno J, Colom F, Vieta E.The role of family interventions in bipolar disorder: A systematic review.Clin Psychol Rev. 2016;43:47-57. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2015.11.010American Psychological Association.Psychotherapy: Understanding group therapy.Afshari B, Omidi A, Ahmadvand A.Effects of dialectical behavior therapy on executive functions, emotion regulation, and mindfulness in bipolar disorder.J Contemp Psychother. 2020;50:123-31. doi:10.1007/s10879-019-09442-7Novick DM, Swartz HA.Evidence-based psychotherapies for bipolar disorder.Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ). 2019;17(3):238-248. doi:10.1176/appi.focus.20190004Bauer IE, Gálvez JF, Hamilton JE, et al.Lifestyle interventions targeting dietary habits and exercise in bipolar disorder: a systematic review.J Psychiatr Res. 2016;74:1-7. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2015.12.006Łojko D, Stelmach-Mardas M, Suwalska A.Is diet important in bipolar disorder?Psychiatr Pol. 2018;52(5):783-795. English, Polish. doi:10.12740/PP/OnlineFirst/78703Lewis KS, Gordon-Smith K, Forty L, et al.Sleep loss as a trigger of mood episodes in bipolar disorder: individual differences based on diagnostic subtype and gender.Br J Psychiatry. 2017;211(3):169-174. doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.117.202259
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Smedler E, Sparding T, Hattab A, Sellgren CM, Landén M.Reporting trigger factors for (hypo)manic episodes in bipolar disorder: association with personality and prognosis.Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2020;141(6):534-540. doi:10.1111/acps.13174National Institute of Mental Health.Bipolar disorder.Korgaonkar MS, Erlinger M, Breukelaar IA, et al.Amygdala activation and connectivity to emotional processing distinguishes asymptomatic patients with bipolar disorders and unipolar depression.Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2019;4(4):361-370. doi:10.1016/j.bpsc.2018.08.012Kurita M.Noradrenaline plays a critical role in the switch to a manic episode and treatment of a depressive episode.Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2016;12:2373-2380. doi:10.2147/NDT.S109835National Alliance on Mental Illness.Bipolar disorder.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.DSM-5 changes: implications for child serious emotional disturbance. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US).Lima IMM, Peckham AD, Johnson SL.Cognitive deficits in bipolar disorders: implications for emotion.Clin Psychol Rev. 2018;59:126-136. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2017.11.006Marzani G, Price Neff A.Bipolar disorders: Evaluation and treatment.Am Fam Physician. 2021;103(4):227-239Elias A, Thomas N, Sackeim HA.Electroconvulsive therapy in mania: A review of 80 years of clinical experience.Am J Psychiatry. 2021;178(3):229-239. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.20030238Yatham LN, Kennedy SH, Parikh SV, et al.Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) and International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) 2018 guidelines for the management of patients with bipolar disorder.Bipolar Disord. 2018;20(2):97-170. doi:10.1111/bdi.12609Child Mind Institute.Is it ADHD or bipolar disorder?TeensHealth from Nemours.Bipolar disorder.Findling RL, Zhou X, George P, Chappell PB.Diagnostic trends and prescription patterns in disruptive mood dysregulation disorder and bipolar disorder.J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2022;61(3):434-445. doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2021.05.016Gitlin MJ.Antidepressants in bipolar depression: An enduring controversy.Int J Bipolar Disord. 2018;6(1):25. doi:10.1186/s40345-018-0133-9American Psychological Association.What is cognitive behavioral therapy?Reinares M, Bonnín CM, Hidalgo-Mazzei D, Sánchez-Moreno J, Colom F, Vieta E.The role of family interventions in bipolar disorder: A systematic review.Clin Psychol Rev. 2016;43:47-57. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2015.11.010American Psychological Association.Psychotherapy: Understanding group therapy.Afshari B, Omidi A, Ahmadvand A.Effects of dialectical behavior therapy on executive functions, emotion regulation, and mindfulness in bipolar disorder.J Contemp Psychother. 2020;50:123-31. doi:10.1007/s10879-019-09442-7Novick DM, Swartz HA.Evidence-based psychotherapies for bipolar disorder.Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ). 2019;17(3):238-248. doi:10.1176/appi.focus.20190004Bauer IE, Gálvez JF, Hamilton JE, et al.Lifestyle interventions targeting dietary habits and exercise in bipolar disorder: a systematic review.J Psychiatr Res. 2016;74:1-7. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2015.12.006Łojko D, Stelmach-Mardas M, Suwalska A.Is diet important in bipolar disorder?Psychiatr Pol. 2018;52(5):783-795. English, Polish. doi:10.12740/PP/OnlineFirst/78703Lewis KS, Gordon-Smith K, Forty L, et al.Sleep loss as a trigger of mood episodes in bipolar disorder: individual differences based on diagnostic subtype and gender.Br J Psychiatry. 2017;211(3):169-174. doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.117.202259
Smedler E, Sparding T, Hattab A, Sellgren CM, Landén M.Reporting trigger factors for (hypo)manic episodes in bipolar disorder: association with personality and prognosis.Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2020;141(6):534-540. doi:10.1111/acps.13174
National Institute of Mental Health.Bipolar disorder.
Korgaonkar MS, Erlinger M, Breukelaar IA, et al.Amygdala activation and connectivity to emotional processing distinguishes asymptomatic patients with bipolar disorders and unipolar depression.Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2019;4(4):361-370. doi:10.1016/j.bpsc.2018.08.012
Kurita M.Noradrenaline plays a critical role in the switch to a manic episode and treatment of a depressive episode.Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2016;12:2373-2380. doi:10.2147/NDT.S109835
National Alliance on Mental Illness.Bipolar disorder.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.DSM-5 changes: implications for child serious emotional disturbance. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US).
Lima IMM, Peckham AD, Johnson SL.Cognitive deficits in bipolar disorders: implications for emotion.Clin Psychol Rev. 2018;59:126-136. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2017.11.006
Marzani G, Price Neff A.Bipolar disorders: Evaluation and treatment.Am Fam Physician. 2021;103(4):227-239
Elias A, Thomas N, Sackeim HA.Electroconvulsive therapy in mania: A review of 80 years of clinical experience.Am J Psychiatry. 2021;178(3):229-239. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.20030238
Yatham LN, Kennedy SH, Parikh SV, et al.Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) and International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) 2018 guidelines for the management of patients with bipolar disorder.Bipolar Disord. 2018;20(2):97-170. doi:10.1111/bdi.12609
Child Mind Institute.Is it ADHD or bipolar disorder?
TeensHealth from Nemours.Bipolar disorder.
Findling RL, Zhou X, George P, Chappell PB.Diagnostic trends and prescription patterns in disruptive mood dysregulation disorder and bipolar disorder.J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2022;61(3):434-445. doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2021.05.016
Gitlin MJ.Antidepressants in bipolar depression: An enduring controversy.Int J Bipolar Disord. 2018;6(1):25. doi:10.1186/s40345-018-0133-9
American Psychological Association.What is cognitive behavioral therapy?
Reinares M, Bonnín CM, Hidalgo-Mazzei D, Sánchez-Moreno J, Colom F, Vieta E.The role of family interventions in bipolar disorder: A systematic review.Clin Psychol Rev. 2016;43:47-57. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2015.11.010
American Psychological Association.Psychotherapy: Understanding group therapy.
Afshari B, Omidi A, Ahmadvand A.Effects of dialectical behavior therapy on executive functions, emotion regulation, and mindfulness in bipolar disorder.J Contemp Psychother. 2020;50:123-31. doi:10.1007/s10879-019-09442-7
Novick DM, Swartz HA.Evidence-based psychotherapies for bipolar disorder.Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ). 2019;17(3):238-248. doi:10.1176/appi.focus.20190004
Bauer IE, Gálvez JF, Hamilton JE, et al.Lifestyle interventions targeting dietary habits and exercise in bipolar disorder: a systematic review.J Psychiatr Res. 2016;74:1-7. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2015.12.006
Łojko D, Stelmach-Mardas M, Suwalska A.Is diet important in bipolar disorder?Psychiatr Pol. 2018;52(5):783-795. English, Polish. doi:10.12740/PP/OnlineFirst/78703
Lewis KS, Gordon-Smith K, Forty L, et al.Sleep loss as a trigger of mood episodes in bipolar disorder: individual differences based on diagnostic subtype and gender.Br J Psychiatry. 2017;211(3):169-174. doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.117.202259
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