Mania

Mania is very individual and while some might find their mania episodes to be very distressing and uncomfortable others might find them very enjoyable and pleasant. You might have mania on its own or you might have mania as part of another mental health issue such as bipolar disorder, seasonal affective disorder, postpartum psychosis or schizoaffective disorder.

There are two types of mania, there is hypomania and mania. Below you can find more detailed descriptions of both conditions.  

Hypomania is a milder version of mania which usually lasts for shorter periods of time. Yet it can impact your day-to-day life by changing your moods and behaviours, these changes can sometimes be observed by family and friends. Compared to mania, people who experience hypomania can often continue with their lives in a relatively normal manner.  

For more information about hypomania such as how you might feel and how you might behave can be found on Mind.

Mania is a more serious form of hypomania which more severely impacts your day-to-day life. Mania episodes last longer than hypomania episodes. There is no set time frame for how long mania episodes last but usually it is around a week or longer. Severe cases of mania can largely impact your ability to perform everyday tasks and sometimes even stop you from performing those tasks. 

Mania is very individual and is experienced differently by individuals. This means that the way mania is treated also depends on the individual’s experiences with mania. Mind has composed a list of symptoms of how you might feel and what you might experience.

If you know that you experience episodes of either hypomania or mania it is a good idea to notify the University as soon as possible. This will ensure that you get the support you need and that the right people know about it when you do experience an episode.  

If you live in halls, it is a good idea to notify a member of the hall warden team so that they are aware of it. If you feel comfortable to talk about it, it might also be a good idea for you to tell any house or flatmates so that they know what to expect and know the signs of an episode and can get help.  

The University can offer you support from the Mental Wellbeing team. You should arrange a meeting with a member of the team for them to evaluate what type of support you might want and for you to say what type of support you would like. This way if an episode does take place, you will have a system in place to get you back on track.  

Additionally, if you feel like your episodes impact your studies you should talk to your academic tutor as a first step. It could be that you are referred to a member of the Mental Wellbeing team who can then make appropriate changes to assessments or provide other forms of support.  

If you have experienced an episode during an assessment or if an assessment has been affected by an episode you can submit a mitigating circumstances claim.