Posted by raisinb on December 17, 2008, at 12:01:37
In reply to what's the purpose of hypo-/ mania?, posted by llurpsienoodle on December 17, 2008, at 7:46:12
I think it's an interesting question--all I have is speculation, but I wonder if feelings of worthlessness (depression) and feelings of omnipotence (mania) serve similar psychological buffering purposes in the form of defending against uncertainty and ambivalence.
In a way, when one is psychologically, chemically, or emotionally vulnerable, it's easier to believe that everything's wonderful, or everything's crap, vs. having the fortitude--whether it is chemical or otherwise--to confront the minute, complex, ambivalent reality that most of us live in.
poster:raisinb
thread:869216
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20081214/msgs/869230.html