(dailyRx)
Most of the time you suffer from the blues. You’re more down than up. But on some of your good days, you have lots of energy, get tons of things done and feel really, really good.
These good days may actually be what’s called “subthreshold hypomania,” a mild form of mania that does not fully meet current diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder.
A recent study shows that a large percentage of people being treated for major depression also have undiagnosed symptoms of a mild form of bipolar disorder.
The definitions are key. Hypomania is a milder form of mania, which is seen in all forms of bipolar disorder. Hypomania is defined as a period of elevated mood that includes increased energy, irritability and euphoria, an exaggerated feeling of well-being that doesn’t match external reality.
A study published last year in the American Journal of Psychiatry found that 40 percent of those identified as having major depression also had symptoms of subthreshold hypomania. People suffering this mix:
- Tended to be younger at the age when depression was diagnosed
- Had additional health problems
- Had more episodes of depression and more suicide attempts
- Had a family history of mania
The researchers suggest that depression and mania may be defined as dimensions, rather than as discrete diagnostic categories.
The Study
- Full spectrum of mania identified by hypomanic episodes that last less than four days among those diagnosed with major depression
- This type of hypomania defined as “subthreshold hypomania”
- Used data from 5,692 respondents of the National Comorbidity Survey Replication, a nationally representative survey of American adults ages 18 and older
Over 5 million people in the United States suffer from bipolar disorder, about 1.6% of the population. Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that causes patients to have extreme and abnormal mood swings, from manic highs to potentially dangerous low depression.
The mood changes are severe enough to cause disruption in the patient’s day to day life, limiting his or her ability to work, maintain relationships, and sometimes can result in suicide. During a manic episode, patients will sleep little, set unrealistic goals, and ‘feel invincible’, often while engaging in risky sexual or financial behavior. A depressive episode can be a crushingly low and hopeless state of mind, with thoughts of suicide. It is the sixth leading cause of disability worldwide, and causes significant stress on families and relationships.