Posted by linkadge on May 27, 2006, at 0:27:49
In reply to today, still afraid of this mania...please read., posted by heaven help me on May 26, 2006, at 23:52:31
I don't know how much I believe in the so called "kindling effect". Sometimes I think the disease is constructed in such a way that makes people more likely to take their treatment for the longest amount of time as possible.
Consider depression, for instance. Some studies seem to suggest that treatment actually improves the course of the illness in the future, where other studies suggest that treatment with antidepressants actually worsens the course of illness, and makes recovery and remission less likely. I don't think that epilepsy gets any worse as one gets older.
The problem with mood stabilizers is that (in my opinion) they can suck joy right out of you. Without pleasure, and joy, it is very hard to find direction and motivation in life.
Unlike full blown mania, hypomania isn't always distructive. Hypomania isn't always associated with the severe indiscression of mania, and as such it doesn't always set itself up for depressive relapse.
I think that as long as your hypomania doesn't progress into full blown mania (which needn't necessarily happen) then live it out and enjoy it. Goodness knows theres too much dysthemia going around.
I know plenty of people who appear to have been living in a state of constant mild hypomania for a lifetime.
Linkadge
poster:linkadge
thread:648642
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060525/msgs/649200.html