Mania

Mania is a mood disturbance marked by an abnormal degree of elation or irritability along with a number of other symptoms including restlessness, inflated self confidence, a marked decrease in the need for sleep, rapid and loud speech that is difficult to interrupt, racing thoughts, high distractibility, and a marked increase in certain goal-directed activities. Over time, manic episodes are usually preceded or followed by periods of major depression, and diagnostically mania is seen as a component of bipolar, or manic-depressive, disorder. In bipolar disorders individuals experience alternating manic and depressive symptoms. Mania then is not currently considered a separate psychiatric disorder.