The DSM or ICD criteria are merely guidelines, sort of like a check-off list of symptoms. Newly-diagnosed people will sometimes go to the library or bookstore to learn about bipolar disorder. This is because bipolar disorder may be quite complex in its variations, a fact that the popular literature doesn't always address. Each individual has her or his own unique form of the illness. Some people have mild manias, called hypomanias, and others have wild manias.
Some people have depressions which are deep, awful, and long-lasting.
Others may have brief depressions. People without bipolar disorder seem to think that hypomania and mania sound like fun. It is true that mild hypomania may be fun, because it is so energizing and may lead to a period of highly productive activity. But in actuality, both mania and hypomania may also be dysphoric. Dysphoria implies agitation, anxiety, uncontrollable rage, or self-destructive feelings.