As I've been writing about mental illness for a while now, I realize I sometimes use terms that may not be understood. A good resource I've found is the Glossary of Bipolar Terms on the Dummies.com website.
Here are some of the highlights from the website that I use a lot:
hypomania: An elevated mood that doesn't qualify as full-blown mania but typically involves increased energy, less need for sleep, clarity of vision, and a strong creative drive. These changes are noticeable to others but don't significantly impair daily function.
major depressive episode: An extreme low mood that lasts at least two weeks and is characterized by symptoms such as despair, fatigue, loss or increase in appetite, loss of interest in pleasurable activities, an increased need for sleep or inability to sleep, and thoughts of death or suicide.
mania: An extremely elevated mood typically characterized by euphoria, excessive energy, impulsivity, nervousness, impaired judgment, irritability, and a decreased need for sleep.
manic episode: A period of elevated mood, either euphoric or irritable, typically characterized by impulsivity, nervousness, impaired judgment, irritability, and a decreased need for sleep. The period must last at least one week (or shorter if it leads to hospitalization).
Another term I use often is mixed state, which is not on the dummies website. You can find it on the Mayo Clinic website,
Bipolar Episodes with Mixed Features. The basic definition of mixed features (from the Mayo Clinic article) refers to the presence of high and low symptoms occurring at the same time, or as part of a single episode, in people experiencing an episode of mania or depression.
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