You know that weird mood state I’ve been talking about recently? The one in which I’m somewhere between normal and hypomanic? Turns out there’s a word for it: it’s called “hyperthymia”. It’s not necessarily pathological, but it’s unofficially on the spectrum and bears watching.
This is the sort of thing they don’t teach you in Bipolar 101. Hyperthymia is more of a personality type than part of an affective (mood) disorder, but it has some of the characteristics of hypomania and the term can be used to describe that in-between phase we BPs know well.
I’m back in it, in case you hadn’t guessed. It’s hard to write blog posts when I’m having trouble sticking with any one thing longer than a bird can stay on one light pole. I’ve started not one but two books and can’t remember a thing I read out of either. I’m trying to learn the Scripture readings for this Sunday’s Mass and can’t connect with them. I’m also somewhat agitated—gotta love the happy-feet thing—but can’t seem to channel it into anything that actually needs doing.
I am definitely NOT hypomanic. I’m not all elated and bursting with self-confidence, nor am I having any problems with sleep. What I am is about 15 degrees off “normal”, and I’m just waiting till it passes so I can resume my appointed rounds. My blog post production has been anemic, and I want to be able to concentrate again. I’m trying, I really am…..but in the last 10 minutes alone I’ve been distracted from this post by a) a text message; b) a post on another site; c) the alarm that lets me know it’s time to do my online mood tracker; and d) cookies.
Now what was I saying again…..?
bpnurse 
As my father would say (and I now say): I resemble that remark (or in this case, personality type). Wonder if we hyperthymics (before my bipolar dx I used to tell my doctors who prescribed my SSRIs for depression/dysthymia that I was probably at the very least cyclothymic because I was a total workaholic, more productive and rapid in my thought processing than most…have I lost you in this thought train yet?) are more or less susceptible to hypo or hyperthermia. I mean the terms sound SO MUCH alike. I am. Just sensitive all around.
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Nope, you didn’t lose me in your train of thought. Makes perfect sense to me. 🙂
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That’s what it’s like, right? You need not answer. Question is rhetorical.
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Sounds miserable, although if it leads to low level hypo, bring it on. I have got to get off my butt.
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lol Lilypup. I am starting to feel that way, my place is a mess!
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