Mixed periods and dysphoric mania

[jacques]

Do you recognize them as different things? And how do your experiences with them differ? I'm curious as to whether others consider them different like I do, and how.

For me, a lot of it is the fact that I feel as though mixed state describes a broader array of symptoms for me? I can have depressed body/manic mind, depressed mind/manic body, variations of ultra rapid or ultradian cycles between extremes, or any odd mix. Meanwhile, dysphoric mania for me has always meant an uncomfortable energy I have to burn off and has always been tied heavily to anxiety. This is also when my psychomotor agitation is at its height, because the energy feels like nervous energy rather than brimming energy if that makes sense? 

Anyway, I'm curious to hear how others use these terms.

[mcjimjam]

I've always thought they were basically different terms for the same thing, but I have no idea what the technical definition is and whether it is in fact different.

[Blahblah]

I always thought they were the same as well.

Mixed states/dysphoric mania seems like a mixture of different negative mood states all at once: Depression, anxiety, anger, along with the increased energy of mania. A mixed or dysphoric state will lack the exuberant/elevated/confident mood - you will just have the increased (often aggravated) energy, insomnia, motor or mental restlessness, mental anguish.

Mania is usually more straightforward, there is typically a more characteristic euphoria that comes with it.

Edited April 21, 2017 by Blahblah

[Alien Navel Cord]

I have what I consider both, and they feel different to me. When I'm manic I have all the typical signs of mania - except for euphoria. I get irritible instead. I get aggressive. But mixed states for me include aspects of both depression and also mania. Like lots of energy but very sad, racing thoughts but they're all negative and depressing, crying but talking way too much and loudly.. etc. 

IMO they're separate but I haven't read anything I can quote that says so. It's just how I feel personally.

[Flash]

On 4/20/2017 at 10:10 PM, jacques said:

Do you recognize them as different things? And how do your experiences with them differ? I'm curious as to whether others consider them different like I do, and how.

For me, a lot of it is the fact that I feel as though mixed state describes a broader array of symptoms for me? I can have depressed body/manic mind, depressed mind/manic body, variations of ultra rapid or ultradian cycles between extremes, or any odd mix. Meanwhile, dysphoric mania for me has always meant an uncomfortable energy I have to burn off and has always been tied heavily to anxiety. This is also when my psychomotor agitation is at its height, because the energy feels like nervous energy rather than brimming energy if that makes sense? 

Anyway, I'm curious to hear how others use these terms.

I think of dysphoric mania as a simultaneous mixed state, where you have aspects of mania and depression at the same time. For me, it's extremely high energy, tremendous agitation, racing thoughts, major depression, the inability to interact with others, and lots of suicide plans when it gets really bad. Along with really bad psychotic states, it's probably the worst situation for me. Mixed crashes are especially awful, not that the regular depressive kind are a walk in the park. 

In a mixed episode, my mood constantly flips back and forth between manic, depressed, and mixed. Eventually it all blows up in a big, nasty crash, then I start to feel a little better for a while. Then the whole thing repeats. Fortunately, Zyprexa kills mixed and manic episodes quite quickly for me now, so I don't suffer them save for brief periods. But the depression goes on and on. I sort of feel gypped, to be honest, because my manias are the super-duper energized and euphoric kind. On the other hand, I don't ever want to go through a prolonged mixed episode ever again, despite all the mania. The crashes are just too ghastly.