Hypomania
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Some days everything seems to speed up. Ideas come easily, you need little sleep and you feel you could take on anything. When that high or irritable mood lasts for several days, feels clearly different from your usual self and other people notice it, it may be hypomania.
Feeling good is not a problem in itself, and this page does not label anyone. It explains what hypomania is, how it links to bipolar disorder and why it is worth talking to a professional.
What it is
Hypomania is a period of raised or irritable mood with more energy and activity than usual. Mind describes it as a milder form of mania that usually lasts a few days. People can often keep up with work and daily life, although others may notice the change. NICE notes that, unlike mania, there are usually no symptoms of psychosis, which means losing touch with reality.
Hypomania is a recognised condition, not a habit in the everyday sense of the word mania. It is the high mood seen in bipolar 2, which a doctor diagnoses after at least one depressive episode and hypomania lasting at least four days, with no full mania. The depressive episodes are part of the diagnosis and can be hard to live with, so bipolar 2 is not simply a mild version of bipolar 1. Hypomania also appears in cyclothymia, where milder ups and downs carry on over two years or more.
Only a professional can tell whether a spell of high energy is hypomania or an ordinary burst of enthusiasm.
How it differs from a phobia
A phobia is a fear that makes you avoid things. Hypomania is not a fear. It is a change in mood and energy that pushes you to do more, sleep less and take on more than usual. It often feels pleasant, which is one reason it can go unnoticed.
Read more about manias and phobias
Common signs
- Several days of unusually high or irritable mood
- Needing much less sleep without feeling tired
- Racing thoughts or jumping between ideas
- Talking more and faster than usual
- Feeling far more confident than usual
- Spending more money than you normally would
- Friends or family saying you seem different
When it tends to show up
- After several nights of short or broken sleep
- With shift work, night flights or long-haul travel
- During busy, high pressure periods
- After a bereavement, break-up or money worries
- After alcohol, cannabis or other drugs
- In the weeks after having a baby
- Online, with lots of messages, posts or shopping
- At social events, talking more than usual
Symptoms
In your body
- Lots of energy despite little sleep
- Restlessness or finding it hard to sit still
- Fast speech
- Packed days with little rest
- Increased sexual energy
In your mind
- Euphoria or a strong sense of wellbeing
- Irritability, especially when slowed down
- Racing thoughts
- Being easily distracted
- Raised confidence or self-esteem
What you might do
- Starting several new projects at once
- Spending more than usual
- Being very friendly or chatty with strangers
- Losing some of your usual social inhibitions
- Making quick decisions you may later regret
- Brushing off concerns when others mention the change
What causes it
The exact cause of bipolar disorder is not known. You are more likely to develop it if a parent, brother or sister has it, and childhood trauma, stressful life events and recreational drugs such as cannabis and cocaine may raise the risk. Stress, poor sleep and being very busy are common triggers for an episode. Some prescribed medicines can also play a part, which only a doctor can assess. Hypomania is not a character flaw and nobody brings it on deliberately.
How it can affect your life
During hypomania many people feel productive, creative and sociable, so it is easy not to see it as a problem. But decisions made in those days can leave a mark: debts from impulse spending, promises that cannot be kept, or tension at work and at home. Afterwards people can feel ashamed or exhausted. In bipolar 2, hypomania alternates with depression, and the low periods can be very hard to live with.
Treatment
In the UK, your GP is the usual first step. They can refer you to a psychiatrist, who can assess whether this is hypomania and agree a treatment plan with you. For bipolar disorder this usually includes medicines to help stabilise mood and talking therapy such as CBT, along with a regular routine and good sleep.
Starting, stopping or changing any medicine is always decided with your doctor. Hypnotherapy is not a suitable treatment for hypomania.
Things that can help day to day
- Keep regular sleep and wake times, weekends included
- Keep a simple diary of mood, sleep and energy for appointments
- Take medication as prescribed and talk to your doctor before any change
- Keep every appointment, even when you feel well
- Agree a crisis plan with your care team and someone you trust
- Hold off big money decisions until you have talked them through
When to get help
See your GP if you notice spells of several days with much more energy, less need for sleep and a mood that is different from your usual self, especially if you have also had periods of depression. If you already have a care team, tell them at the first warning signs. Bipolar UK and Mind offer information and support groups.
If someone has gone days without sleep, is putting themselves in danger, seems to have lost touch with reality, cannot look after themselves or has thoughts of harming themselves or others, call 999 or go to A and E. For urgent mental health advice, call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option. If you are also feeling very low, talk to your GP or call Samaritans free on 116 123.
See also: Mania (manic episode) · Megalomania (grandiosity)
Common questions
What is the difference between hypomania and mania?
They share signs such as more energy, less sleep and racing thoughts. Hypomania is milder and usually lasts a few days, and people can often carry on with daily life. Mania is more severe, typically lasts a week or more, can include losing touch with reality and may need hospital care.
If I feel full of energy, does that mean I have hypomania?
Not necessarily. Feeling lively after good news or during an exciting project is normal. What marks hypomania is a clear change that lasts several days, with less sleep and other signs that people around you notice. Only a professional can assess it.
What is bipolar 2?
Bipolar 2 is diagnosed when someone has had at least one depressive episode and hypomania lasting at least four days, but never a full manic episode. It is a condition in its own right, not just a mild form of bipolar 1.
Can hypnotherapy help with hypomania?
No. Hypnotherapy is not a suitable treatment for hypomania or bipolar disorder, and it should not be used during an episode or when someone holds fixed beliefs that are not true. The right help is a GP and a mental health team or psychiatrist.
Further reading: Mind: About hypomania and mania · Mind: Types of bipolar · NHS: Bipolar disorder, symptoms · NHS: Bipolar disorder, treatment · NICE: Bipolar disorder, information for the public