We can often feel helpless when someone we love is in the middle of a manic episode. This is especially true if we are unfamiliar with what a manic episode is, what it looks like, and, certainly, how long it may last. The good news is that manic episodes are now well documented and many helpful tips can help us help others that are experiencing one. However, the key is to first get familiar with what to expect if a manic episode starts to manifest.
What Is a Manic Episode?
A manic episode is a symptom of either mental illness, substance use disorder (SUD), or a traumatic or stressful event or period (such as an instance at work or a period of abuse). According to the clinical report, Bipolar Disorder, by authors Jain and Mitra, “A manic episode is defined as a distinct period of persistently elevated or irritable mood with increased activity or energy lasting for at least 7 consecutive days or requiring hospitalization.”
Manic episodes also come in 4 stages (or “forms”). These stages are hypomania, acute mania, delusional mania, and delirious mania. While these stages all share similar characteristics, they are all distinct.
What Do Manic Episodes Look Like?
Manic episodes can look and feel very upsetting and cause significant alarm. This is because the symptoms of a manic episode can be quite intense.
According to the peer-reviewed write-up, Mania, by authors Dailey and Saadabadi, “The defining characteristics of mania include increased talkativeness, rapid speech, a decreased need for sleep, racing thoughts, distractibility, increase in goal-directed activity, and psychomotor agitation. Some other hallmarks of mania are an elevated or expansive mood, mood lability, impulsivity, irritability, and grandiosity.” There are also less severe and more severe symptoms of mania, such as hypomania on the less severe end of the spectrum and signs of catatonia on the opposite end.
Hypomania is the least intense type of mania and technically does not fit all of the criteria for acute mania. It is most commonly associated with bipolar II disorder. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), “People are diagnosed with three basic types of bipolar disorder that involve clear changes in mood, energy, and activity levels. These moods range from manic episodes to depressive episodes… Bipolar II disorder is defined by a pattern of depressive and hypomanic episodes, but the episodes are less severe than the manic episodes in bipolar I disorder.” Not only are the episodes less severe, but they are also shorter in timeframe.
How Long Do Manic Episodes Last?
To be characterized as a manic episode, it must last at least 7 days. People with hypomanic episodes will generally experience them for up to 7 days. However, manic episodes can go on for a very long time if some type of professional intervention does not occur.
A manic episode may even start less severe and resemble hypomania. However, if untreated and a week passes, then it can be considered acute mania and the individual struggling will start to exhibit some of the more severe characteristics of manic episodes.
If a manic episode continues without treatment, there is the potential that it will manifest into a more severe type of mania like delirious mania. As stated in Bipolar Disorders, “Delirious mania is a syndrome of the acute onset of the excitement, grandiosity, emotional lability, delusions, and insomnia characteristic of mania, and the disorientation and altered consciousness characteristic of delirium.” This exemplifies why it is critical to get someone experiencing a manic episode the help they need as soon as possible.
How Are Manic Episodes Best Treated?
Manic episodes are often treated with a multi-angled approach. This includes pharmacology and psychotherapy.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), “Bipolar disorder is treatable with a combination of medication and therapy. Medications [like] mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, and antidepressants can help manage mood swings and other symptoms.” Also, “Therapy helps people accept their disorder, recognize the warning signs of a manic or depressive episode, develop coping skills for handling stress, and stick with a medication schedule.” These two treatments must also be considered long-term treatments because the disorders related to mania can easily reemerge if proper care is not taken.
Healing at the Cellular Level With The Phoenix Recovery Center
Life is too short to let it be disrupted by something as treatable as mania. Here at The Phoenix Recovery Center, we don’t believe in “one-note,” cookie-cutter” treatments. We find that overarching recovery plans rarely work.
This is why we only create individual, comprehensive recovery plans for healing at the cellular level. Recovery is about the journey, not the destination, and there is no better place to start that journey than with us here at The Phoenix Recovery Center.
Manic episodes and mania-related disorders are more common than many people may think. Knowing what manic episodes are, what they look like, how long they last, and what disorders they are commonly associated with can be vital when it comes to helping a loved one who is struggling with one. If you feel like you or a loved one is struggling with issues of mania, a mania-related disorder, or any other type of mental illness or addiction, we can help get you on the right road to long-term recovery. For more information on mania and how it can best be treated, please reach out to The Phoenix Recovery Center today at (801) 438-3185.
