4.2 How can I tell if I am manic or just unusually cheerful?
Description
This article is from the Bipolar Disorder FAQ, by barry@webveranda.com (Barry Campbell) with numerous contributions by others.
4.2 How can I tell if I am manic or just unusually cheerful?
A: Much like depression, it is frequently more obvious to those around us
that we are becoming manic or hypomanic than it is to us. Impaired
judgment is every bit as much a part of mania as it is a part of
depression, and it is not uncommon for someone on a manic upswing to
think they simply feel so good because the damn depression is finally
over. Family and friends can usually tell the difference quite easily,
although convincing the manic subject of his/her mania can be quite a
different matter.
This section, like the last, involves one of the Goldberg Mood Scales
by Dr. Ivan K. Goldberg, M.D. Again, the scales ARE NOT designed to
diagnose any psychiatric disorder, nor are they intended to replace
evaluation by a qualified psychiatrist. They are only intended to
measure the severity of depressive and/or manic symptoms, and thus
to help the reader decide whether to seek a psychiatric evaluation.
The Goldberg Mania Scale, below, is a self-administered
questionnaire designed to measure the severity of manic
thinking and behavior.
Goldberg Mania Scale
--------------------
Copyright (c) 1993 Ivan Goldberg
Name_________________________________________ Date_______________________
The items below refer to how you have felt and behaved DURING THE
PAST WEEK. For each item, indicate the extent to which it is true, by
circling one of the numbers that follows it. Using the following scale:
0 = Not at all 1 = Just a little 2 = Somewhat
3 = Moderately 4 = Quite a lot 5 = Very much
==========================================================================
1. My mind has never been sharper. 0 1 2 3 4 5
2. I need less sleep than usual. 0 1 2 3 4 5
3. I have so many plans and new ideas that it is
hard for me to work. 0 1 2 3 4 5
4. I feel a pressure to talk and talk. 0 1 2 3 4 5
5. I have been particularly happy. 0 1 2 3 4 5
6. I have been more active than usual. 0 1 2 3 4 5
7. I talk so fast that people have a hard time
keeping up with me. 0 1 2 3 4 5
8. I have more new ideas than I can handle. 0 1 2 3 4 5
9. I have been irritable. 0 1 2 3 4 5
10. It's easy for me to think of jokes and
funny stories. 0 1 2 3 4 5
11. I have been feeling like "the life of
the party." 0 1 2 3 4 5
12. I have been full of energy. 0 1 2 3 4 5
13. I have been thinking about sex. 0 1 2 3 4 5
14. I have been feeling particularly playful. 0 1 2 3 4 5
15. I have special plans for the world. 0 1 2 3 4 5
16. I have been spending too much money. 0 1 2 3 4 5
17. My attention keeps jumping from one idea
to another. 0 1 2 3 4 5
18. I find it hard to slow down and stay in
one place. 0 1 2 3 4 5
A score of 20 or higher on the mania scale suggests the possible need for
an evaluation by a qualified psychiatrist.
Copyright (c) 1993 Ivan Goldberg
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