Somebody Hit the Manic Button!

I am neither a psychologist nor the son of a psychologist. The only degrees in medicine I have are those triple-digit thermometer readings I've been having every day for the last couple of weeks because of the tonsilitis I've been suffering from. So if you want a real definition of what "manic" is, then see Dictionary.com.

But let me give you what I think it is and then explain how the inmates have taken over at this asylum. Manic is the opposite of depressed in a clinical sense. An individual suffering from depression finds something to be depressed about in everything. Often there are legitimate things for this individual to be depressed about. But in clinical depression, the individual is perhaps more depressed about these things than he should be, stays depressed about them longer than he should, and, perhaps most importantly, finds things to be depressed about which belie irrational thinking patterns. "You're depressed about what? Why would you think that?"

Mania is the opposite. The person diagnosed with mania is an individual who goes through long periods of upbeat, positive, can-do attitudes. He is happy and exciting to be around. His optimism seems to defy all logic and even the facts of his circumstances. To put them together, the psychiatric disorder now commonly known as bipolar used to be called manic/depressive. It is the condition of fluctuating between these two states, both of which are believed to be caused, at least in part, by chemical imbalance in the nervous system and treatable with medications.

Anyone out there more knowledgeable of these subjects feel free to correct any mistakes in my descriptions.

Now as far as I know I do not suffer from any psychiatric or psychological disabilities. I have friends who do and, trust me, they are some of the most interesting people you will ever meet. But if I could choose to have one disorder and there was nothing I could do to keep from having it, I would choose the "manic" disorder. Doesn't the word "mania" just sound cool?

And here at the asylum this is what has happened. The inmates have taken over. They have spray painted over the P on the Panic button and scratched in an M. Mania reigns!