Hyperthymic temperament, or hyperthymia, from Ancient Greek ''ὑπέρ'' ("over", meaning here ''excessive'') + '' θυμός'' ("spirited"), is a proposed personality type characterized by an exceptionally, or in some cases, abnormally positive mood and disposition. It is generally defined by increased energy, vividness and enthusiasm for life activities, as opposed to

dysthymia Dysthymia ( ), also known as persistent depressive disorder (PDD), is a mental and behavioral disorder, specifically a disorder primarily of mood, consisting of similar cognitive and physical problems as major depressive disorder, but with lon ...

. Hyperthymia is similar to but more stable than

hypomania Hypomania (literally "under mania" or "less than mania") is a mental and behavioural disorder, characterised essentially by an apparently non-contextual elevation of mood (euphoria) that contributes to persistently disinhibited behaviour. Th ...

. Characteristics of the hyperthymic temperament include: * increased energy and productivity * short sleep patterns * vividness, activity extroversion * self-assurance, self-confidence * strong will * extreme talkativeness * tendency to repeat oneself * risk-taking/sensation seeking * breaking social norms * very strong

libido Libido (; colloquial: sex drive) is a person's overall sexual drive or desire for sexual activity. Libido is influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors. Biologically, the sex hormones and associated neurotransmitters that act u ...

* love of attention * low threshold for

boredom In conventional usage, boredom, ennui, or tedium is an emotional and occasionally psychological state experienced when an individual is left without anything in particular to do, is listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occup ...

* generosity and tendency to overspend * emotion sensitivity * cheerfulness and joviality * unusual warmth * expansiveness * tirelessness * irrepressibility, irresistible, and infectious quality The clinical, psychiatric understanding of hyperthymia is evolving. Studies have suggested that hyperthymic temperament may be associated with efficient performance of complex tasks under time pressure or extreme conditions. Despite this positive characterization, hyperthymia can be complicated with depressive episodes manifesting as a softer form of bipolar illness, such as

cyclothymia Cyclothymia ( ), also known as cyclothymic disorder, psychothemia/psychothymia, bipolar III, affective personality disorder and cyclothymic personality disorder, is a mental and behavioural disorder that involves numerous periods of symptoms of ...

. Research also suggests a familial genetic connection of the temperament to

bipolar I Bipolar I disorder (BD-I; pronounced "type one bipolar disorder") is a type of bipolar spectrum disorder characterized by the occurrence of at least one manic episode, with or without mixed or psychotic features. Most people also, at other tim ...

. Aside from references in historical and more recent writings on the spectrum of mood disorders, further literature on the temperament is lacking. There is a lack of agreement on its definition, implications or whether it is

pathological Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in th ...

. It is not known where to place hyperthymia on the

affective spectrum The affective spectrum is a spectrum of affective disorders (mood disorders). It is a grouping of related psychiatric and medical disorders which may accompany bipolar, unipolar, and schizoaffective disorders at statistically higher rates than ...

. Hyperthymia manifesting intermittently or in an unusual way may mask

or another psychiatric disorder.

See also

References

Further reading