I have periods, short periods, where I have everything BUT 1... and, for the most part, I am aware that I have everything BUT 1... and I feel "up" and "energized" and "ready to go at" whatever... that is what I call my hypomanias.
It's when everything but 1.. with some delusions, hallucinations, and lack of quality sleep thrown in for good measure... seem to get beyond "feeling good" and gets to the point of "I can't shut it off and I can't make it stop and I can't slow it down and I'm heading for a solid concrete wall with nothing braking my acceleration." OR "I'm spinning so fast on the hamster wheel that I'm shrilling and clinging to the bars, with my head thrown back, whiskers plastered against my face, ears flattened, and I'm GOD wanting it to stop."
that it's mania....
and by the way... doing something potentially self damaging or highly impulsive doesn't have to mean hypersexuality, promisecuity, or spending 1000s of dollars in 2 days...
it's something that, out of character, that one does that reaps negative consequences in one's life and possibly throws one into.. or their family & friends.. into precarious positions (ie., jail, bankruptcy, losing the electricity, not paying rent/mortgage one month, quitting a job when you have no job to go to and you have no money in the kitty to hold you over, etc..)
I agree with you John. My wife was just yesterday observing that not so long ago homosexuality was considered a disease on the DSM. That tells us that we should not trust the DSM without questioning it.
I agree about the symptom of grandiosity, it is something that many people have. Even those who appear humble and modest are often doing it to fit in to get sympathy but as soon as we turn our back the monster of grandiosity comes out.
Grandiosity can also be a gift because it drives people to do more, to achieve things. Artists need the delusion of grandeur to create. I agree that it is also difficult to distinguish between narcissism and grandiosity or vanity. There are so many personality traits that are in tune with grandiosity.
The DSM is a very rough guide. I think the problem is that while we have the impression that we are moving towards a biopsychosocial model of health we are still stuck with the biomedical model and will remain with this model for quite a long time to come. That is where the problem is to be found. The other problem is the universal citizen where we are all supposed to behave in a certain way. The more we appear to be similar the better it is for the system. People with bipolar, because they are so different, are immediately excluded from this as other people with various disabilities.
The system hopes to learn how to manipulate genes so that it can fabricate the right kind of human beings without symptoms. Aldus Huxley was right in this sense. But without symptoms we may lose other things like the wonderful creativity.
We are not at all moving towards a biopsychosocial model of health. This is just a mirage, an illusion for now. Hence we are stuck with the DSM and the usual way of dealing with symptoms. And they are studying symptoms especially genetically/. Whether they will be able to eliminate the genes that are connected to the symptoms I don't know. I hope not. But given that our life may be a dream (following the idea of the quantum theory) where anything is possible then there is always a danger.
Sorry for confusing everyone. This is a very disjointed argument and only those who can join the dots of knowledge may be able to follow it. Given that people with bipolar know how to join the dots I may be in luck that someone understands.
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How much do you know about bipolar disorder? 
I would hazard a guess my memory being was it is as 63 that I have experience all of the symptom of mania for brief or long periods of time depending on what the stressor might be. I look at a decision tree, come to a certain point and think" Uh, either way, neither way, I just don't know" the DSM doesn't have all the answeres. Remember thos vignettes in grad school? Couple of times it was a shot in the dark as to which link of the tree to follow. Miy mania no longer looks like road rage. Now I start to shake. Not much of an improvement. I'm certain it will move from listed symptom to listed symptom all my lifel, I'm not all that certain that it matters as long as I can remain prensent and aware of what I am going through and how to not let it overwhelm me