If an introvert suddenly becomes enthusiastic, it may be mania.

Author: Wang Changhong, Chief Physician of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical College

Gao Chang, Associate Professor, Jining Medical College

Reviewer: Pan Miao, deputy chief physician of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical College

Do you have such a person around you? He was originally very introverted, but one day he suddenly became a different person, becoming outgoing, lively, eager to help others, and even going on a shopping spree! You might be a little worried at this time, and ask him what's wrong, but he will smile and answer you "Nothing is wrong". If this happens, then this person is likely suffering from mania!

1. What is mania?

Mania is an affective mental disorder characterized by a marked and lasting elevated mood. Typical clinical symptoms are elevated emotions, racing thoughts, and increased activity. In simple terms, manic patients are more energetic than usual, and their thoughts may also be more active. They may also experience severe emotionality, moodiness, easy fantasy, and sleep disorders.

Some manic patients occasionally feel high-spirited, arrogant, energetic and confident because they think everything is fine and great. Because of this mentality, they are prone to get angry and even engage in destructive or aggressive dangerous behaviors if their needs are not met or their ideas are not recognized.

Generally speaking, different manic patients have obvious symptoms, but the degree of onset may vary. Some patients are not so extreme, but they suddenly become a different person, behave completely different from usual, and become overly excited; some patients may throw things, attack, etc.

If symptoms do not get diagnosed and treated promptly when they first appear, the condition may become more serious and may even cause harm to yourself or others. Therefore, if you have the corresponding symptoms, you should seek help from a professional in a timely manner.

2. Is mania innate or acquired?

What kind of people are more likely to suffer from mania? Is it innate or is it acquired due to some kind of stimulation?

There are many causes of mania, which are mainly affected by genetic factors, physical factors, the function of central nervous mediators and abnormal body metabolism. If there is someone in the family who has suffered from mania, the probability of onset will increase. However, under the premise of genetic factors, if other factors are well controlled, the incidence rate may decrease. Therefore, if you are experiencing some stressful events, you should communicate more with friends and family, live a regular life, and keep your mood relaxed and happy, so that you can be mentally healthy and avoid the occurrence of mania.

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3. Treatment of mania should start from multiple aspects

The causes of mania are diverse, so in order to effectively treat mania, it is necessary to start from multiple aspects and comprehensively overcome them, so as to achieve better treatment results. Generally speaking, the treatment of mania can start from the following four aspects.

First , maintain a good environment. If the patient is in a crowded or noisy environment, it is easy to cause manic patients to be irritable and obviously excited. Therefore, it is important to create a comfortable, safe and quiet treatment environment for patients. At the same time, patients should learn to divert their attention, maintain a comfortable state of the body, slowly calm themselves down and reduce their excitement. The same is true at home. If conditions permit, try to let the patient have a separate room and a relatively quiet environment. Try to reduce the excitement of the patient when you get along with or talk to him.

Secondly , the basic needs of patients should be met. According to the characteristics of mania, patients are generally in a state of continuous excitement, so the body's energy consumption will increase, but the resistance will decrease, which will increase the risk of gastrointestinal diseases. Therefore, patients should be supplemented with nutrition, water, and sodium salt, but the salt intake should be reasonably controlled. Patients should also be arranged to eat alone as much as possible, rinse their mouths after meals, and maintain oral hygiene.

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Secondly , we need to provide the patient with activity guidance. Because manic patients have excess energy and are very excited, we need to find something for them to do, but at the same time, we need to ensure that their excitement is not increased. We can guide the manic patient to do some relatively peaceful activities based on his preferences, such as singing soothing songs, drawing his favorite paintings, playing chess, etc.

Finally , drugs should be used rationally. Mania is essentially a disease that occurs when the body has pathological symptoms, so drugs should be used to control the condition. When using drugs, doctors, patients and family members need to cooperate, especially the family members of the patients, who need to understand and supervise the patients' medication to ensure the effectiveness of the medication.

It is important to note that for some patients with severe mania and persistent excitement, both doctors and family members should do a good job of safety management. If the patient becomes ill and exhibits dangerous behavior, they should pay attention to ensuring their own safety. If treatment is required, it is best to isolate the patient for treatment. If the family cannot control the situation, they should seek help from professionals in a timely manner.

References

[1] Sun Kaili, Lu Huijie. Predictive nursing intervention for patients with mania based on motivational behavior transformation[J]. Journal of Clinical and Pathological Medicine, 2020, 40(11): 2982-2987.

[2] Sun Danfeng. Evaluation of the effect of comprehensive nursing intervention on improving treatment compliance in patients with mania[J]. Chinese Medical Guide, 2021, 19(30): 120-121.