Melancholia Agitata

Melancholia agitata is an obsolete term for catatonic excitement which is characterized by agitation and hyperactivity with no purpose (others may also present with hallucinations or delusions). This condition is now termed as agitated depression or mixed mania. A person with this condition feels agitated, irritable, depressed, and angry all at the same time or in a rapid sequence. The combination of such extreme emotional states is a risk factor for self-harm.

For instance, Jane Doe has been frequently annoyed even at small things such as the color of her neighbor's new car. She has also been often observed to fidget, pace around the house at night, wring her hands, have bouts of crying spells, and bite her nails. On top of that, she was recently fired because of her outbursts at work; she was yelling at customers and was incessantly talking. Unfortunately, her being unemployed seemed to have made it worse as she has been engaging in self-harm.

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