Mania

Mania is a period of abnormally high or irritable mood with far more energy and activity than usual, lasting at least a week, or less if it ends in hospital. People sleep little, talk fast, feel invincible and take risks they normally wouldn’t. It’s the defining episode of bipolar I disorder, and it needs medical treatment.

Also called: a manic episode; “being high” or “on a high”. Hypomania is the milder, shorter form. In everyday English, “mania” also means a craze; this entry is about the symptom.

Read Bipolar I vs Bipolar II: The Difference and Bipolar Disorder in Nigeria: Signs, Myths and Help.

Signs and symptoms

Feeling very happy, excited or unusually irritable
Needing little sleep yet full of energy
Racing thoughts, talking fast, jumping between ideas
Inflated confidence or grandiose plans
Impulsive spending, risky sex, drinking, reckless driving
In severe mania, hearing voices or fixed false beliefs

Causes

Mania is usually part of bipolar disorder, which affected about 36 million people worldwide in 2023. Lost sleep and stress can trigger an episode. Stimulant drugs and an overactive thyroid can mimic it, so doctors check for both.

Treatment

A psychiatrist usually prescribes mood stabilisers or antipsychotic medicines, with talking therapy such as CBT once the episode settles. A short hospital stay is sometimes needed for safety. Regular sleep, a steady routine, and avoiding alcohol and recreational drugs help prevent the next episode.

In Nigeria

A sudden change into someone who doesn’t sleep, spends wildly and talks without stopping is often read as spiritual. In south-west Nigeria, supernatural causes are among the commonest lay beliefs about mental illness. Faith can support recovery, but mania responds to medical treatment, and the National Mental Health Act 2021 bans chaining, including at healing centres.

Mania vs hypomania

Both bring high mood and energy. Mania lasts at least a week, disrupts life badly, and can include psychosis or hospital care. Hypomania lasts at least four days, is milder, and never includes psychosis or admission; people often feel productive, which is why bipolar II is slow to be diagnosed.

When to get help

If someone is not sleeping, acting dangerously, hearing voices, or talking about harming themselves or anyone else, get help now: call 112 (or 767 in Lagos), or Safe Place Nigeria on 0800 800 2000. The full list is on our helplines page. The Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in Yaba runs a 24-hour emergency unit.

Diagnosis and medicine come from a psychiatrist. Alongside that, you can book a licensed therapist on Mytherapist.ng for general mental health.