“Submania Increases Risk of Bipolar Disorder, Study Finds – National Care Guide”

About 5 percent of the Dutch experience ‘subclinical’ manic symptoms, or submania. This has emerged from research by Altrecht Bipolar and the Trimbos Institute. This group of people is more likely to have bipolar disorder than people who do not experience submania. Bipolar disorder is a serious psychiatric disorder characterized by the occurrence of manic and depressive episodes, with stable periods in between. Trimbos reports this.

Submania is when someone has manic symptoms but not bipolar disorder. This can be, for example, an elevated cheerful mood that lasts four days, with little sleep. People with submania function worse than people who do not show manic symptoms, according to the large population study NEMESIS-2. They also have a background of psychological complaints, such as anxiety disorders and depression.

Increased risk of bipolar disorder

Nearly 5 percent of the 4,618 people interviewed had a submania in the past three years. A study three years later showed that 25 percent of the people who previously had a submania also reported this at the follow-up measurement. More than 6 percent met the criteria for bipolar disorder. According to the researchers, this indicates that submania significantly increases the risk of bipolar disorder. Risk factors for this are a previous depression, being single or a high score for ‘neuroticism’. Someone is more likely to suffer from shame, gloom or fear.

By: National Care Guide / Johanne Levinsky