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by danieltillett 3961 days ago
The people who get the biggest advantage are those that are just manic the whole time. Just like there are some people who are only depressed, there are some people who are only manic. Of course these people don't complain about mental illness so they are not so well studied.
2 comments
ececconi 3960 days ago
The problem with being manic for months on end is that the initial exuberance and excitement has a way of turning into paranoia and anxiety. I'm not exactly sure how it happens, but it does.
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lexicalscope 3960 days ago
It's weird like that. It's like at first the thoughts move wonderfully, like you're in the flow you get programming, but all the time. Then they move faster, and faster, and faster, and suddenly your brain is more chaos than anything.

But it still beats the depression :)

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ececconi 3958 days ago
Oh for sure. Depression is seriously the worst thing ever.
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lexicalscope 3960 days ago
Mania is not something you want to experience daily, or on a routine basis. It is not fun. It is _powerful_. It is being absolutely certain of everything you are, everything you think, everything you know. It is knowing that everything you do is right, and everyone else is wrong. It's having a sex drive turned to a thousand. It's feeling paranoid eventually.

Yes, there is increased productivity, but the cost is a lot higher than you expect. The messed up thing is you crave it when you lose it - because the certainty is really super addictive.

What I think you're actually referring to is not mania or hypomania - it's called hyperthymia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperthymic_temperament

It's similar in some ways to hypomania, but different in others.

For one last point of reference, here's a hypomanic episode for me:

Everything in the world is great. Everything in the world is really great. Productivity for a day or two Holy shit, I'm so smart, everyone else is less smart than me! Productivity that is more random Oh my god, I can't believe how smart I am and how pathetic the rest of these people are. Productivity is super random, starting to be unproductive The most logical conclusion is that I'm probably god, like, I really do believe that, that seems very logical right now. Productivity goes away.

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