Almost immediately I was struck by how generally this ‘disorder’ was described; episodes of intense elation or, conversely, of rock-bottom depression… but what really piqued my skepticism was the description of the ‘hypomanic episode,’ described as “a mild to moderate level of elevated mood, characterized by optimism, pressure of speech and activity, and decreased need for sleep. Generally, hypomania does not inhibit functioning as mania does.” Reading on further: “What might be called a "hypomanic event", if not accompanied by depressive episodes, is often not deemed as problematic, unless the mood changes are uncontrollable, volatile or mercurial. If left untreated, an episode of hypomania can last anywhere from a few days to several years.”
How, by any measure, could someone even venture to describe several years of general emotional well-being as the result of some mental offset? All emotions are being pathologized in the modern world to the point that an effect is made of creating said mental disorders through a ‘nacebo effect’ (the opposite of the ‘placebo’). The fact that years upon years of happiness can be described as a tame insanity is near-irrefutable proof of this. Perhaps my issues are simply the result of a subconscious belief in the authority of the Western psychologist. No matter how far I try to claw from their influence, it seems ingrained in my head as a matter of course. As I try to escape, I am further flushed into their categories as a safe-haven to protect myself and others from responsibility and, as such, mental sovereignty.
