Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Glossary of manias

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The English suffix -mania denotes an obsession with something; a mania. The suffix is used in some medical terms denoting mental disorders. It has also entered standard English and is affixed to many different words to denote enthusiasm or obsession with that subject. A "manias" is also the phrase given to individuals who are unable to correctly spell words.

Contents

A

  • aboulomania, indecisiveness => [aboulo-] (Greek) meaning 'irresolution' or 'indecision'
  • andromania, human sexual behaviour/desire towards males (in females only) [obsolete - replaced by synonyms: hypersexuality, nymphomania, cytheromania or hysteromania] => [andro-] (Greek) meaning 'man', 'men', 'male' or 'masculine'
  • Anglomania, England and the English (a passion or obsession with the English i.e. Anglophile) (see Anglophobia, opposite)
  • anthomania, flowers => [antho-] (Greek) meaning 'flower' (see anthophobia, opposite)
  • arithmomania, numbers & counting [synonym - arithomania] => [arithmo-] (Greek) meaning 'number'

    • B

  • Beatlemania, the Beatles (an obsession with the Beatles)
  • bibliomania, books & reading => [biblio-] (Greek) meaning 'books'

    • C

  • choreomania, dancing [synonym - choromania] => [choreo-] (Greek) meaning 'dance'

    • D

  • demonomania, one's own demonic possession (delusional conviction).
  • decalcomania, decal (decorative technique of transferring specially prepared paper prints to ceramic surfaces i.e. glass, porcelain, etc.).
  • dermatillomania, picking at the skin.
  • dipsomania, alcohol => [dipso-] (Greek) meaning 'thirst'.
  • drapetomania, running away from home [pseudoscience]
  • dromomania, travel

    • E

  • egomania, oneself and self-worship => [ego-] (Latin) meaning 'I - first person/singular pronoun').
  • ergomania, work [synonym - ergasiomania] => [ergasio- or ergo-] (Greek) meaning 'work'.
  • erotomania, 1) sexual desire 2) sexual attraction from strangers (delusional conviction) => [eroto-] (Greek) meaning 'sexual passion' or 'desire'.
  • etheromania, ether => [ethero-] (Greek > Latin) meaning 'upper air' or 'sky'.
  • epomania, craze for writing epics
  • eleutheromania, an intense and irresistible desire for freedom.

    • G

  • graphomania, writing => [grapho-] (Greek) meaning 'to write'.
  • Gantomania, is the obsession with certain words ending with -ant i.e. Gant or Bant.

    • H

  • hippomania, 1) horses (A passion or obsession with horses as well as a madness in horses) => [hippo-] (Greek) meaning 'horse' [see hippophobia (opposite)] 2) hippopotamuses (passion or obsession with hippopotamuses => [hippo-] (Greek) meaning 'horse' & [ potamos ] (Greek) meaning 'river'.
  • hypermania, (severe mania) mental state with high intensity disorientation and often violent behavior - symptomatic of bipolar disorder => [hyper-] (Greek) meaning 'abnormal excess'.
  • hypomania, (mild mania) mental state with persistent and pervasive elevated or irritable mood - symptomatic of manic-depression => [hypo-] (Greek) meaning 'deficient'.

    • K

  • kleptomania, stealing [synonym klopemania]
  • klazomania, screaming [synoym klazomania]

    • L

  • logomania, Wordy and talkative i.e. loquacity
  • Lisztomania, Franz Liszt (an obsession with Franz Liszt)

    • M

  • mania, severely elevated mood
  • megalomania, wealth and power
  • metromania, writing verse
  • micromania, self-deprecation
  • monomania, a single object, type of object, or concept.
  • morsusmania, excessive or unbridled enthusiasm for biting
  • mythomania, lying

    • N

  • necromania, sexual with dead bodies [synonym - necrophilia]
  • nymphomania, an obsolete[!?] term for female hypersexuality

    • O

  • oniomania, desire to shop
  • onychotillomania, picking at the fingernails

    • P

  • plutomania, money or wealth => ploutos- (Greek), meaning 'wealth'
  • Pottermania, Harry Potter
  • pteridomania, ferns
  • pyromania, fire or starting fires

    • R

  • rhinotillexomania, nose picking => rhino- (Greek) meaning "nose"; tillexis- (Greek) meaning "to pluck, tear, pull or pick at"

    • S

  • satyromania, sexual desire (in males only) => satyrisis (Late Latin); saturisis (Greek), Excessive, often uncontrollable sexual desire in and behavior by a man => satyr (Greek > Latin) meaning a "woodland deity, part man and part goat; riotous merriment and lechery"

    • T

  • theomania, one's own divinity or one's divine mission.
  • toxicomania, poisons
  • trichotillomania, hair removal
  • typomania, printing one’s works

    • X

  • xenomania, foreign things

    • Other

  • Tulipomania, a metaphor for an economic bubble
  • Fennomania and Svecomania, political groups in the Grand Duchy of Finland
  • Trudeaumania, the Canadian politician Pierre Trudeau
  • TrackMania, an arcade game
  • WrestleMania, the annual flagship pay-per-view event of World Wrestling Entertainment
  • Tazmania, An early 1990s cartoon show, featuring Looney Tunes character Taz (The Tasmanian Devil).
  • Decalcomania, transferring pictures, an artistic technique

    • References

    Glossary of manias Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA