Are entrepreneurs hypomanic? (opens in new tab)

To be "normal", you are by definition average, and to achieve anything, you need to be "above average" in some way. If you're "above average", then you must by definition be "abnormal". Considering anything "abnormal" is a disease in psychiatry, then anyone that achieves anything must have some type of psychiatric disease. :)

"* He is witty and gregarious.

* His confidence can make him charismatic and persuasive.

* He is also prone to making enemies and feels he is persecuted by those who do not accept his vision and mission."

hm, this reads like the next line should be "he is the most interesting man in the world"...

Hypomania is pretty much a temporary phase in bipolar/schizoaffective disorders. There isn't really such a thing as being in a perpetual state of hypomania. The debilitating effects of the other aspects of these illnesses (psychosis, mood swings into depression, etc) are likely to greatly outweigh the short-lived advantages of being in a mild state of hypomania.

In the real world, this means the visionary plans and energy levels experienced during hypomania are most likely to be washed away in a tide of depression, or lead to the sufferer doing something irrational like joining a pyramid marketing scheme. There will be exceptions, particularly in creative fields or environments where the sufferer is able to coast or be supported through the negative cycles. Ever work with one of those people who slacks off and fails to meet their schedule most of the time, but occasionally delivers something incredible out of nowhere in the space of a few days?

So, are entrepreneurs hypomanic? The real lesson of this article is to beware of how easy it is to confuse DSM-style bullet point symptom lists with medical diagnoses.

A sample size of ONLY 10 CEOS (not all entrepreneurs are CEOs and 30 is a respectable sample size), no control group to see if just about anyone will answer "yeah, that about describes me" to the same questions, no control questions to see if the entrepreneurs will answer "yes, that's me" to stuff that is not hypomanic. What kind of conclusions can you draw from such a study?

Quite a few of these remind me of myself at work except, "He acts out sexually." Where do I sign up for that one?