The final criteria that must be met is that the mood episodes cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning (from the depressive symptoms or the unpredictability of cycling between periods of depression and hypomania).A hypomanic episode is established if a patients symptoms last for most of the day each day for at least four days. Furthermore, three or more of the following symptoms must be present: Inflated sense of self-esteem or grandiose thoughts, feeling well rested despite getting low amounts of sleep (3 hours), talkativeness, racing thoughts, distractibility, and increase in goal-directed activity or psychomotor agitation, or excessive involvement in activities with high risk of painful consequences. Per DSM-5 criteria, a major depressive episode consists of the presence of a depressed mood or loss of interest/pleasure in activities (anhedonia). In addition to the former symptoms, five out of the nine following symptoms must occur for more than two weeks (to the extent in which it impairs functioning): weight loss/gain, insomnia or hypersomnia, psychomotor agitation or retardation, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness/inappropriate guilt, decreased concentration, or thoughts of death/suicide.Specifiers:

With current or most recent episode hypomanic or depressed
With partial remission or full remission
With mild, moderate, or severe severity
With anxious distress
With catatonic features
With mood congruent psychotic features
With peripartum onset
With seasonal pattern (applies only to the pattern of major depressive episodes)
With rapid cycling.
The bipolar patient becomes overwhelmed with emotional stimulation with no way of understanding it, which can trigger mania and exacerbate the effects of depression. Signs and symptoms
Bipolar disorder is characterized by marked swings in mood, activity, and behavior. BP-II is characterized by periods of hypomania, which may occur before, after, or independently of a depressive episode. Hypomania
Hypomania is the signature characteristic of BP-II, defined by an experience of elevated mood. A patients mood is typically cheerful, enthusiastic, euphoric, or irritable. In addition, they can present with symptoms of inflated self-esteem or grandiosity, decreased need for sleep, talkativeness or pressured speech, flight of ideas or rapid cycling of thoughts, distractibility, increased goal-directed activity, psychomotor agitation, and/or excessive involvement in activities that have a high potential for painful consequences (engaging in unrestrained buying sprees, sexual indiscretions, or foolish business investments. )Hypomania is distinct from mania. During a typical hypomanic episode, patients may present as upbeat, may show signs of poor judgment or display signs of increased energy despite lack of sleep, but do not meet the full criteria for an acute manic episode. Patients may display elevated confidence, but do not express delusional thoughts as in mania. They can experience increase in goal-directed activity and creativity, but do not reach the severity of aimlessness and disorganization. Speech may be rapid, but interruptible. Patients with hypomania never present with psychotic symptoms and do not reach the severity to require psychiatric hospitalization.For these reasons, hypomania commonly goes unnoticed.