Eight Days Without Sleep – what this story teaches, the signs and what to do
From the book – Chapter 11: Mood, Psychotic and Personality Conditions
Eight Days Without Sleep
Vikram, twenty-eight, an advertising executive in Delhi, has not slept properly for a week. He feels brilliant. He talks fast, makes big plans to start three companies, spends savings on equipment and tells his team they are all about to become rich. His girlfriend finds him cheerful but impossible to interrupt.
On the eighth day he sends angry messages to his boss, gives away money and drives through the city at night. When his sister says he needs a doctor, he laughs, "I have never felt better." His family notices that two years ago he spent months in a deep low and barely left his bed, and this high looks different but just as unlike him.
What this story explains
This story shows mania and bipolar disorder, why correct diagnosis matters and why the lows matter as much as the highs.
How to recognise it
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Much less need for sleep with high energy, for days at a time.
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Fast speech, racing thoughts, big plans and unusual confidence.
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Risky behaviour such as spending sprees, reckless driving or angry outbursts.
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Earlier periods of deep low mood, which suggests a bipolar pattern.
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The person often does not feel unwell and may refuse help.
What to do
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Notice early signs: less sleep, faster speech, bigger plans.
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Keep sleep and daily routines as regular as possible.
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Get him to a psychiatrist soon, and offer to go along.
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Protect money and safety quietly, such as limiting access to large sums during an episode.
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Keep a shared mood diary to spot patterns.
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If he is in danger, talking of harm, or driving or acting recklessly, contact the local emergency number or go to the nearest hospital.
Do and don’t
| Do | Don’t |
|---|---|
| Stay calm and patient. | Do not argue with big plans in the middle of an episode. |
| Support regular medical follow-up. | Do not mock or shame him. |
| Encourage steady sleep. | Do not encourage stopping medicine or changing it without the doctor. |
| Learn the early warning signs as a family. | Do not hand over large sums of money. |
| Look after your own wellbeing. | Do not ignore the low phases. |
Read the full chapter – Chapter 11: Mood, Psychotic and Personality Conditions
Stories from real life
- The Voices in Shanta’s Son – Shanta lives in a village in Odisha. Her son Mohan, twenty-two, was a quiet, hard-working student. Over the past months he has become suspicious, saying neighbours…
- Zoe at Two in the Morning – Zoe, twenty-three, lives in Bristol. Her friendships burn bright and then collapse. When her closest friend takes longer to reply, Zoe is sure she is being…
- Coming Home, Slowly – Sanjay, thirty-one, spent two months in hospital in Bengaluru for schizophrenia. Now he is home with his parents. He is calmer, but he is also slow,…
- Mr Hassan Prefers the Edge of the Room – Hassan, forty-five, an accountant in Cairo, has always kept to himself. At work he avoids meetings and lunches, afraid people will find him boring or foolish.…
Shloks
- Bhagavad Gita 5.18 – The wise see the same in a learned humble person, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and one who cooks a dog.
More on this topic: Emotions, anger and mood swings – understanding your feelings
More questions
- The Voices in Shanta's Son – what this story teaches, the signs and what to do
- Zoe at Two in the Morning – what this story teaches, the signs and what to do
- Coming Home, Slowly – what this story teaches, the signs and what to do
- Mr Hassan Prefers the Edge of the Room – what this story teaches, the signs and what to do
- What can we learn from the story “Vikram, Age 23”?
- Why these conditions need careful understanding?
- Understanding mood disorders beyond depression – mood, psychotic and personality conditions
- Bipolar disorder – mood disorders beyond depression
- Cyclothymic disorder – mood disorders beyond depression
- Other mood disorders – mood disorders beyond depression
- How to stop overthinking and worrying
- How to control anger