# Is there such a thing as reverse depression? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 15, 2005, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-reverse-depression/284922 "2005-01-15T22:58:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-reverse-depression/284922/1 "2005-01-15T22:58:56Z")
When you’re depressed, you see only the negative parts of life, the bad consequences of events, the obstacles instead of the potential, and so forth. Been there, done that. Then yesterday, I managed to lose (during a rather hard drinking session) my bus pass and my access card to school. As luck would have it, my bus pass would have expired before the next time I’d have to use it and I won’t be needing the access card for six weeks. That was all I thought about: how lucky I was that I didn’t lose the cards a couple of days ago, when it would have been a real hassle. That they were actually lost and would have to be replaced didn’t bother me. The next morning my relationship of three years definitely ended. While I had some trouble when I first found out this was in danger of happening, when I finally got the last word I only saw the positive sides of it. Being on my own, deciding for myself, being able to have sex with anyone I want, and so forth. I’m not even sad. That longwinded intro leads into my question: is there such a thing as reverse depression, where you only see the good things and light spots? An extreme version of this condition would be as much trouble (maybe not to yourself, but to other people) as ordinary depression. If there is, what’s it called, is it possible that I have it, and if so, should I worry or rejoice that I’m getting through a difficult time with a minimum amount of pain? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-reverse-depression/284922/2 "2005-01-15T23:10:49Z")
[Hypomania](http://www.google.com/search?q=hypomania&sourceid=mozilla-search&start=0&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official) ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-reverse-depression/284922/3 "2005-01-15T23:21:23Z")
**Squink** ’s reply is valid if it’s a disease. Otherwise it can be simple happiness. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-reverse-depression/284922/4 "2005-01-15T23:27:48Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > **Squink** ’s reply is valid if it’s a disease. > Otherwise it can be simple happiness. Yes. I only mentioned it because it’s coming so soon after a depression. There _are_ stable hypomanics in the world. Usually they’re just called happy, productive people. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-reverse-depression/284922/5 "2005-01-16T01:46:15Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > Yes. I only mentioned it because it’s coming so soon after a depression. There _are_ stable hypomanics in the world. Usually they’re just called happy, productive people. I think something that runs through all diagnostic works is that by definition, diseases interfere with the person’s ability to live a happy and productive life. After all, the `treatment’ of something that isn’t actually a problem is cruel and stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-reverse-depression/284922/6 "2005-01-16T01:49:34Z")
Such totally happy people may also be totally narcissitic and/or hedonistic… - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-reverse-depression/284922/7 "2005-01-16T02:37:49Z")
And there’s always that nifty pharmaseutical side effect: “may produce a false sense of well-being.” ---
**Author:** ![SallyCan\_tDance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@SallyCan\_tDance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SallyCan_tDance)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-reverse-depression/284922/8 "2005-01-16T03:08:25Z")
It could be that those things that happened to you were actually better for you than your previous situation, and that your subconscious knows this. Perhaps that’s why you feel happy, even though intellectually you have reasoned that you should be sad. Other than that I got nothin’. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunshine_and_Smiles)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-reverse-depression/284922/9 "2005-01-16T04:05:40Z")
Treatment involves walking around wearing cold socks all day and listening to the Titanic soundtrack. It’s been a rough day for this wannabe hypomaniac. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-reverse-depression/284922/10 "2005-01-16T06:19:56Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > There _are_ stable hypomanics in the world. Usually they’re just called happy, productive people. Pleased to meet you. Yes, I am pretty much always in a good mood. I can handle just about any situation that comes along, and the worse that ever happens is I get a little snarky (as happened recently in the Pit - big surprise there). Anyhow - the reason I know this is that I’m also a psych major, and as such, I regularly participate in research studies - generally they need stable people, and happily, I qualify. I would also qualify as being hypomanic. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-reverse-depression/284922/11 "2005-01-16T06:30:49Z")
Humm - I just read some of **Squink’s** links (hey - that rhymes!). Anyhow - they all seem to refer to hypomania as a state of bi-polar disorder. However, oh so many moons ago, my Abnormal Psych prof (also the head of the department) considered hypomania to be the oposite of dysthemia, which, for those not in the know, is a persistant low mood, lasting 2years +, but never sinking to the level of actual depression. Hypomania, he considered to be, a persistant elevated mood, lasting 2+ years, but never rising to the level of mania. As far as he was concerned, both of these conditions could exist without any sort of bipolar disorder being present. That’s where I’m at. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Mermaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@The\_Mermaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Mermaid)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-reverse-depression/284922/12 "2005-01-16T13:53:04Z")
I only worry about psychological problems when a person is behaving inappropriately or inconsistant with the situation. So I don’t think it’s abnormal for you to be happy when there is no reason for you to be depressed. Yes the cards are lost but it is not doing you any real harm. No need to be down. The end of the relationship was not a sudden thing and you’ve had time to work out the big “would my life be better off with or without them” question. It just sound to me like you have good coping skills ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-reverse-depression/284922/13 "2005-01-16T13:56:54Z")
> [@The Mermaid](#): > > Yes the cards are lost but it is not doing you any real harm. No need to be down. I just mentioned it because my usual mode would have been to be seriously pissed off. > [@](#): > > The end of the relationship was not a sudden thing and you’ve had time to work out the big “would my life be better off with or without them” question. Actually, it was a pretty sudden thing. I first found out there was danger Wednesday night, and it became definite Saturday morning. > [@](#): > > It just sound to me like you have good coping skills I never used to. I’ve even been to a psychiatrist for depression. Either way, I got the answer to my question. Some of the symptoms of hypomania fit me like a glove, but I imagine anyone can see themselves in any list of symptoms, so that probably means nothing. To heck with it, I’ll enjoy it while it lasts. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-reverse-depression/284922/14 "2005-01-16T14:52:30Z")
Hypomania isn’t really the opposite of depression because it is just likely to manifest itself as an excessively irritable mood as it is an elevated one. It’s probably the closest thing to an opposite that you’ll find though. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-reverse-depression/284922/15 "2005-01-16T18:02:05Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > Humm - I just read some of **Squink’s** links (hey - that rhymes!). > > Anyhow - they all seem to refer to hypomania as a state of bi-polar disorder. > > \ Hypomania, he considered to be, a persistant elevated mood, lasting 2+ years, but never rising to the level of mania. > > As far as he was concerned, both of these conditions could exist without any sort of bipolar disorder being present. Just a quick note (and how odd that is is timed so closely to the MPSIMS thread on bipolar disorder). It is also possible to be bipolar with a tendency to by hypomanic most of the time and not fall into the major depressive cycles. I’m one of those folks. I rarely get the low end of the mood swing. Note also hypomania isn’t just a “good mood” or your standard state of “happiness”. Sure you feel like you’re on cloud nine and you _may_ see an optimistic spin on everything (in fact a really exaggerated optimism), but it can also manifest itself as _irritablity and belligerence_. You can get short tempered and snarky (I voluntarily had my SDMB posting privileges revoked during my last hypomanic epsiode to prevent me from being an asshat, for example). Hypomania can also include the sense that your thought are racing so you tend to talk fast trying to keep up. It can be hard to focus or sit still, so you talk during movies, keep wandering away from your desk at work etc. It’s also usually accopanied by a sense of grandiosity, but not to the extent of mania. For example/ Hypomanic: “I have used a screwdriver. I’m a mechanic! No wait, an _engineer_!” Manic: “I am Og, the great and powerful. I am a GOD living among men.” Also as **Derleth** pointed out: > [@](#): > > I think something that runs through all diagnostic works is that by definition, diseases interfere with the person’s ability to live a happy and productive life. This is quite relevent from a clinical point of view. Hypomania isn’t really a diagnosis unless the state is interfering with your life and ability to function properly on a day-to-day basis. A temporary elevated mood that last a couple days (particularly if a lot of bad things happen) can be a symptom of stress. A pyshciatrist once said “Happiness is not a recurring condition.” It usually has a cause. Someone gives you a million dollars, you baby says “I love you” for the first time – that stimulates “happiness.” A _persistent and recurring_ elevated mood accompanied by a sense of grandioisty, a “bit too much energy”, exaggerated self-confidence and lack of focus… that’s starts souding more like the diagnositc criteria of hypomania.