I know what mania looks like now, OMG

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There was one at the hospital I was in. She was pretty hyperkinetic and loud, bragging about something I won't mention here because I don't want to trigger anyone. She was quite tickled with what she did. She was supposed to be in the same room with me but they put her in another because she immediately took a disliking to me and told the staff she wanted to hurt me. So anyway, I was just fine with that. I was disgusted with what she was bragging about and with her attitude in general. True mania like that is pretty shocking and a bit disturbing and you know it when you see it.

I have severe bipolar, so I'm pretty familiar with mania. At my very worst, I just become super agitated: my thoughts start racing with completely incoherent speech, I become pretty delusional and hear voices, I can't stop moving (though it's mostly just pacing and flailing, not jumping off walls or anything like the OP described) and I usually have a tendency to start self-harming myself. I guess it's more of a "mixed state" of emotions, I dunno.

I do have an "acceptable" level of mania which comes and goes depending on my med intake, but I'm just a little hyper and a lot happy at most. I'm still able to function in social settings like that, but it's more than likely something random will happen which will pop my manic bubble and send me spiraling straight down into deep depression. One minute I can be chipper and outgoing and the next I can be morose and withdrawn.

Honestly, I feel bad for people who go through being bipolar. I know what its like. But for a long time, I was in huge denial. But on the other hand, I'd rather not put up with their manic behavior either.