I've read through what I have written, and I think that I've done a decent job. I always subject my writing to a rigorous editing process, so I am not done yet. But I have a nice start.
If you're curious about what is going into the mania chapter, here is a rough outline:
-DSM criteria for mania
-difference in criteria of mania vs. hypomania
-definition of mania and hypomania as high energy states
>characterized by euphoria or irritability, decreased need for sleep, racing thoughts, and impulsivity
-in-depth description of the above energetic symptoms
-euphoric vs. dysphoric hypomania and mania
-the blurred line between mania and hypomania
Here is a one-paragraph excerpt on the energy that accompanies mania:
Whether it lasts twenty minutes or a year, hypo/mania can be seen as a period of unusually high energy. Hypo/manic patients typically can get away with very little sleep, often only four hours or less a night. Some manic patients can go days without any sleep. If you have a hard time imagining how someone can survive on so little sleep, think back to a time when you were very excited about something happening the next day. Maybe you had a promising first date, or were starting a new job. It was hard to sleep, right? Your mind raced with excited thoughts about the new developments in your life. Then you woke up before your alarm went off, ready to start this glorious new day. Severe mania is like living in this state of excitement all the time; sleep is unnecessary and hard to get.
Overall, the intro to the mania chapter is a little over 1,200 words. I will attach 2-3 actual patient stories dealing with mania to the end of the chapter. If you have graciously allowed me to interview you, you can expect the questions on mania to come very soon; I decided to write the introduction before the questions so that I would have a better sense of what questions I need to ask.
Thank you for reading, and I hope that you all have a marvelous day!
