It sounds like what you are experiencing is a hightened hypomania..MANIC ,is very different.

I have a mood chart in front of me,I'll write in some of the "Mania" criteria
Hyper,Nonstop talking,Paranoid,Hears voices,Incoherent,can't funtion,Elated or wild,little or no sleeping ,loss of control and thought organization,hospitalization.

Usually by the time you have accelerated to this stage,you are unaware of it,and may need intervention.

Manic for me is when I have high boosts of energy, to the point that I don't know what to do with myself. Usually become very chatting and hyper feeling very on top of the world and powerful, that whatever I wanna do I have to do it right then and there. I feel at these times I am not fully aware to what's really goin on, cant concentrate often feeling i see things at the corner of my eye, but really there is nothing there at all

Well reading from my mood chart,your symtoms fall into the "Moderate" catagory.
Still a high end hypomania...not quite manic yet..give yourself some time..maybe a real manic episode is in your future?
I hope not,for your sake.

As a "lowly" BP2 my experiences are mostly with Hypomanic episodes... and I have to admit to a sick sense of enjoyment. They can be destructive, but also very productive depending on how high I swing and how long they last.

I did experience I full blown manic episode last December to the point where my pdoc wanted me hospitalized, but there were no beds available and I convinced him I wasn't a threat to myself or anyone else (sucker!!!)... but it was damn scary and I don't ever want to go back there again. It only lasted a couple of days but not a place I would wish on my worst enemy.

SusanMc..nothing "lowly" about BP..I or II...it suxs any way you experience it.

(((dd)))... guess it was my sarcasm rearing it's sneaky head :)

...and you're right... there is no level of this ugly Monster that is easy to deal with.

Oldies, but Goodies, like you and I, know that all too well.

Ok - stupid question....where do you get these mood charts that you are talking about?

I know people that can go months and be manic the entire time. but most people cannot. I for one can only go about 2 weeks on severe mania. I am very tuned into the moods that i am in and I make myself sleep if I am in mania too long. I do though take advantage of the extra energy and the willpower to do more and get so much stuff done. If I am super super manic for more than 2 weeks, i need to be hospitalized.

Mania to me is the scariest thing about having bipolar because i do things that i normally would not do and the downfall is terrible and leaves me all depressed