This week on The Infinite Mind, with host Dr. Peter Kramer, we're talking about hypomania, a symptom of bipolar disorder that starts out as exhilaration but can spiral out of control. On the plus side, it's characterized by quickness of thought, high energy, and grand ambitions. But it's also accompanied by irritability and an inflated ego. Broadcast journalist Jane Pauley tells us how hypomania made her motivated and vivacious, but so impulsive that she bought a cottage on a whim. Psychiatrists Dr. Sheri Johnson and Dr. Ronald Kessler discuss hypomania and bipolar disorder, and why people who experience hypomania can seem like creative visionaries. Ben Bardy describes his high-flying hypomanic dream of building an amusement park. Best-selling author and psychologist Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison tells us about hypomania and exuberance in her own life, as well as the lives of some of America's most beloved historical figures. Also offering a personal testament is Chris Louviere, a bipolar folk singer and guitarist who performs his song Benzo Train. Andy Behrman, author of Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania, reminisces about his years in New York City, America's mecca of hypomania. Plus psychologist Dr. John Gartner and psychiatrist Dr. Peter Whybrow ponder whether or not hypomania is a natural way of life for Americans, and discuss whether its dominance in our culture is making us more productive or or burning us out. Finally, John Hockenberry gets a little hypomanic himself, and admits his secret method for his commentaries. |
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