What is a Mood Disorder:

Classified as a mental illness that depicts how you feel, or your "mood". According to the NIMH Major Depression is the leading cause of disability for persons 18-44. Think about that. That is more than any physical disability. More on depression statistics here. People with Major Depression feel down in the dumps, hopeless, sad, etc, for most of their days and it lasts for weeks. For the DSM-IV criteria please click here. Another very common mood disorder is Bipolar Disorder. Similar to Depressive Disorders, Bipolar can take a few forms. Bipolar I, the most severe, is set apart from the others by psychosis. In additionally, mania is usually present-so Bipolar I is all about the extreme "poles" of the mood spectrum. The individual will experience the highs of mania which include psychosis, and then will experience the extreme depth of a Major Depressive episode. Bipolar II is a less severe form of these swings. Hypomania is used to describe what the Bipolar II is like. There are still similar symptoms as in mania-decreased need for sleep, hypersexuality, increased goal-directed behaviors, rapid speech, only they don't experience the extreme highs or psychosis. Hypomanics typically can function quite effectively for a while. Many very talented, genius individuals are hypomanic.


Book Review

"The Hypomanic Edge, The Link Between (A Little) Craziness and (A Lot of) Success in America"; John D Gartner, 2005, Simon & Schuster, New York, NY

This is an interesting book on Hypomania in America and how it provides an edge for many very successful individuals such as Andrew Carnegie, Christopher Columbus, and others. John Gartner provides an interesting glimpse into the minds of entrepreneurs. A sampling from his Introduction include traits such as,

Filled with energy
Flooded with ideas
Driven, restless, and unable to keep still
Works on very little sleep
Risk taker
Impulsive...

In John's words, he writes these stories as" inspiring, comical, and sometimes tragic, as the hubris that fueled their improbable rise often led to their fall as well. Yet, without these hypomanic qualities these Captains would have never have sailed into unknown waters, never discovered new worlds, never changed the course of our history." This is a delightful read! This book can be purchased through Amazon Resellers at the FTL Store under the category "Mood Disorders".

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Last Update: November 2, 2011