Their thoughts are dominated by wild, impractical schemes, and they have a greatly overinflated sense of their own importance. Illusions of being omnipotent and invulnerable lead them into unwise, even dangerous, acts. They may drive recklessly, for example, or engage in foolish buying sprees. Their outrageous, irresponsible behavior may alienate their friends or cost them their jobs. This phase is just as full of destructive illusions.
Victims lose interest or pleasure in any activity, and are often overcome with feelings of fatigue .
They have trouble concentrating or making decisions, and are often preoccupied with thoughts of worthlessness, death, and suicide. These symptoms are similar to those of clinical depression . Between storms of mania and depression , periods of normal behavior are likely to occur. Attacks may appear spontaneously, or they may be triggered by psychological stress. Delusions and hallucinations that are a part of the manic phase in as many as three-fourths of all cases are often recognized as mental illness, although not by the person experiencing them.