The person may feel energetic, talkative, have increased (maybe even "inflated") self-esteem, have "racing" or very rapid thought processes, and perhaps make inappropriate or impulsive choices that they later come to regret.It should also be noted that hypomania can actually lead to full-blown mania, the type seen in bipolar 1.

Along with the hypomania, those with the disorder often are also irritable, and have anxiety besides. Oftentimes, they are misdiagnosed as having depression with anxiety disorder, or simply anxiety disorder. The problem with this diagnosis is that if they are only given an antidepressant and not treatment for their hypomania, they can actually be pushed into a manic phase. If that happens, their moods can swing in and out of depression and mania.

What's the difference between hypomania and mania?

As you can probably tell by the names, "hypomania" means, literally, "low mania," and in fact, it is simply a less severe form of mania. However, left untreated or treated improperly, it can actually progress into full-blown mania.

With hypomania, as it occurs in bipolar 2 disorders, the person may actually feel very productive and happy; indeed, even to people witnessing someone experiencing hypomania, they may think that this is in fact a "good" thing. This is one of the things that make hypomania difficult to diagnose. Of course, being productive and happy is a good thing in and of it, but as part of the disorder, hypomania puts the patient at risk making rash decisions if their hypo manic behavior includes this type of occurrence. In addition, if they are taking antidepressants, they can be pushed into a full manic episode.

Unfortunately, if someone has bipolar 2, antidepressants alone can't help them (and of course can make the situation worse as described above).Bipolar 2 also includes a propensity to cycle rapidly between depressed and hypo manic states. And if the rapid cycling is misdiagnosed, the patient may be prescribed sedatives in addition to antidepressants, which will push moods even further out of balance.

Treating bipolar 2 disorder properly

With bipolar 2, it is imperative to treat both the depression (which can be very severe) and the hypomania at the same time, so as to avoid prescribing only antidepressants for the depression, which can make the hypomania, escalate into full mania.

In actuality, treatment of bipolar 2 disorder actually uses a lot of the same medications as bipolar 1 disorder does. Common medications include mood stabilizers like lithium and anticonvulsants like Tegretol.Low-dose antidepressant medication can also help. Because people with bipolar 2 do not generally have psychotic symptoms or behavior, they usually don't need antipsychotic medications.

It may take some time to find a proper medication regimen, since every patient is different. Therefore, it may take some time to stabilize and find the right dosages for patients even once properly diagnosed. If patients have demonstrated suicidal tendencies during depressive phases especially, they may need to be hospitalized temporarily to keep them safe while medications are properly adjusted.

Using medication with cognitive behavioral therapy

Most bipolar 2 patients respond favorably to a combination of medication and cognitive behavioral therapy.

Contraindications

Women who are thinking about becoming pregnant or are pregnant may not be able to be on some of the anticonvulsant medications usually prescribed for bipolar 2.Therefore, if you have been diagnosed with bipolar 2 and you are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant, you should talk both with your psychiatrist and OB/GYN or obstetrician about proper medications and their use.

Leading a normal life with bipolar 2 disorder

If you or someone you love has bipolar 2 disorders, don't despair. In fact, this is one of the most treatable conditions you can have. Rest assured that as long as you receive proper treatment, you can recover fully from bipolar II disorder and live a completely normal life.