Why do people see hypomania as 'harmless'?

It's not. It's worse than mania in some ways because people can do things and it looks like they're being an a***hole but actually, they're very ill. At least with mania, people recognise that you're ill and won't hold the things you do against you. I've lost so many friends and ruined so many relationships during hypomania. I've also absolutely destroyed my reputation at school, more so than when I was manic, thanks to the awful things I've said and done during hypomanic episodes.
Why are people so naive as to think that hypomania is harmless?
I'd MUCH rather have a full-blown manic episode than a hypomanic one, in terms of damage caused.

David1999 wrote:It's not. It's worse than mania in some ways because people can do things and it looks like they're being an a***hole but actually, they're very ill. At least with mania, people recognise that you're ill and won't hold the things you do against you. I've lost so many friends and ruined so many relationships during hypomania. I've also absolutely destroyed my reputation at school, more so than when I was manic, thanks to the awful things I've said and done during hypomanic episodes.
Why are people so naive as to think that hypomania is harmless?
I'd MUCH rather have a full-blown manic episode than a hypomanic one, in terms of damage caused.

I think the problem is most don't realize what is actually going on. I didn't even know what hypomania meant until after I was diagnosed at 30. Also some may look at hypomania and think "Wow that person is a real go-getter not realizing they are only working hard because of the hypomania. Creativity also often follows with it for the same reason.

Until it's recognizable by everyone around, many will likely keep thinking it's just so-and-so being their quirky self again.

Couldn't agree more. I was hypomanic for about a month during the period I was taking my exams last year. My intensive studying (which included sleeping less) probably knocked me up. I would sleep 4 hours a day and walk 20km and study all night. I tried to hook up with people on Grindr (luckily it didn't succeed - I was a bit 'too young-looking' then - although it did this year ), told my parents I hated them and wished they'd just drop dead, made a tonne of racist jokes, became obsessed with the bible, fell out with all of my friends (some of whom I'd known for years). I spent most of the night either studying the bible or coursework. It was much more destructive than ANY of my manic episodes.

Hypomania is very enjoyable for me. I am much more confident, adventurous, and outgoing. Hypersexual, more risk taking, partying, drinking, etc. If I don't recognize it and nip it in the bud it gets out of control quickly into racking up credit card debt and other reckless behavior.

I guess the severity varies from person to person. But hypomania is a "mild" form of mania, therefor is is not as severe. According to textbooks and such. I have never been hypo, so I wouldn't know. But my mania has caused me to use cocaine, have an affair with a married man, run across speeding traffic, get drunk at work, and spend ALL of my life savings. So your mania is not as bad as mine. I have, however, had safer manias- being more productive, taking up nice hobbies, etc. But they always involve me spending every penny I have, so that in itself is sort of destructive, I guess.

I choose it over depression. Up until a couple of months ago, I spent about 20 years mildly depressed with several episodes of deeper depression, some of which were petty severe. Sprinkled into that history were a handful of mostly unpleasant hypomanic episodes - irritable, condescending and nearly always accompanied by headaches. Every now and then one would be something a little more enjoyable but they were typically only a few days long. A couple of months back, my meds were adjusted and my center line moved out of depression to a slightly hypomanic state. There have been a couple of spikes where it was more intense, but most of the time it's just slight.
After a couple of decades in the cave, when you step out into the light and people start telling you "it's bad for your eyes, get back in the cave", it's hard to be very receptive. As far as I can tell, "centered" is a myth. My choices seem to be depression or hypomania. I am really sick of being depressed.

I never have hypomania... I have full blown mania.
So, personally I never saw hypomania as a problem cuz mine is a lot worse, I guess.
I've never met someone that's hypomanic, I don't think...
So... just no gauge for it.

I want to provide a little more perspective about my earlier post. For the 24 years prior to 2 months ago, my estimate of total cumulative time in the 3 categories of bipolar in increasing order:

Remission: 0
Hypomanic: 8 months
Depressed (slightly to severely): 280 months

Last 2 months have been 6 weeks of slightly hypomanic and 2 weeks of moderately hypomanic

So it isn't that I see it as harmless; harmless is not an option that is available to me. I am not about to ask pdoc to switch meds back so I can be depressed again. I don't think I have ever had a full 2 week reprieve from depression in 24 years. Most of it was slight to moderate depression, but it got really, really old. Sorry if I seem a little annoyed when people tell me I should not enjoy this.

When hypomanic it can easily reach to mania for me. Hypomania lasts only for a little bit. I usually just skip to mania. Either way, it sucks to have lost friends, especially good ones because of what we cannot control. I lost a very good friend. I sought out sex from him and it turned terrible and we don't speak. We were friends for the longest time. No one would believe this from me and that's ok. I was manic and I just went with it and before you know it the texts were sent and oh my goodness. And I couldn't get it out of my head that it was wrong. I was purely manic.

Because it is, David you utter bimbo!