60 REFLECTIONS ON CHARACTER AND LEADERSHIP
the nature of the person ’ s condition and suggesting avenues of
treatment such as a leave of absence or referral to the employee
health - assistance program.- Family members and friends can perform a balancing function.
Changes in sleep patterns, unusual sexual or fi nancial behavior,
expansiveness or undue enthusiasm, involvement in an excessive
number of projects, and changes in judgment — symptoms that
would be obvious to intimates — are signs of impending affective
episodes. Family members can be crucially important to the
hypomanic in making early interventions, such as contacting the
clinician. They can encourage the hypomanic to avoid situations
that aggravate mood state and to choose partners and organiza-
tions that moderate his or her inclinations. (Family counseling
and therapy may be called for to encourage this sort of familial
collaboration, since early and aggressive treatment can go a long
way in stabilizing this condition.) - Colleagues, family members, and friends can help to educate the
hypomanic about the disorder. Insight into hypomania is the
foundation of preventive maintenance. If hypomanics themselves
can recognize the early signs and symptoms of elevated or
depressed episodes, they can help to avert disaster. - Colleagues, family members, and friends can encourage the
hypomanic to seek treatment. The current treatment of choice
is medication in combination with psychotherapy. Psychotherapy
helps the person understand the psychological implications of
mood swings and their aftermath, and the importance of taking
the medication required to prevent recurrence; social support
creates containment and serves as an early - warning system.
The plus side for organizations
Executives caught up in the frenzy of Dionysian ecstasy dance a fi ne
line between creative achievement and business catastrophe. Their deci-
sions and actions, interpreted as bold and imaginative at the outset, may
become disastrous. However, hypomanics who learn from their mis-
takes, who nurture their refl ective capacities, who are able to put on the
brakes when the alarm bells ring, who create life situations that have a
balancing infl uence, can be a great asset to any organization. Their
capacity to dream and set high goals, their positive attitude in the face
of adversity, and their ability to inspire and energize go a long way