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low or high

English translation: in abnormally low or high spirits: depressed or passive / euphoric or hyperactive

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:low or high
Selected answer:in abnormally low or high spirits: depressed or passive / euphoric or hyperactive
Entered by: Charles Davis

14:16 Jan 9, 2012
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Social Sciences - Psychology
English term or phrase: low or high
Hello everyone

BEHAVIOUR INDICATING SERIOUS DISTRESS
· Self-neglect – not eating or paying attention to personal grooming.
· Sleep problems – feeling tired, unable to sleep, waking early.
· Not going to the gym.
· Refusing to participate in work, education or association.
· Marked change in mood or behaviour; acting out of character (**low or high**).
· Lack of motivation, such as not planning for release
· Giving away possessions

There may be a tendency to treat signs of distress behaviour as ‘normal’ and in a sense it is – a normal reaction to a stressful situation. But this should not minimise the real distress that juveniles may be experiencing coming to terms with court proceedings, first night in custody, a sentence or dealing with a change of establishment or a problem at home

As I understand "acting out of character" means acting strangely, doing things that people do not expect from you.
But what does "low or high" imply here?

Thank you.
Mikhail Korolev
Local time: 12:05
in abnormally low or high spirits: depressed or passive / euphoric or hyperactive
Explanation:
I think this must be what it refers to: low and high, down and up, are often applied to states of mind. Here it clearly means abnormally so.
Selected response from:

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 11:05
Grading comment
Many thanks to everyone.
Thank you, Charles.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +8in abnormally low or high spirits: depressed or passive / euphoric or hyperactive
Charles Davis
5extremely low/depressed (mood) or extremely high/happy/ecstatic (mood)
Catherine Pawlick
3depressed vs. overly happy
Maria Fokin


  

Answers


6 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +8
in abnormally low or high spirits: depressed or passive / euphoric or hyperactive


Explanation:
I think this must be what it refers to: low and high, down and up, are often applied to states of mind. Here it clearly means abnormally so.

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 11:05
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 32
Grading comment
Many thanks to everyone.
Thank you, Charles.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Maria Fokin: you beat me to it :-)
1 min
  -> Sorry, Maria! Thanks for the "agree" :)
agree  Stephanie Ezrol
4 mins
  -> Thanks, Stephanie :)
agree  Veronika McLaren: perhaps to the extent of manic depressive
39 mins
  -> That's what it me think of too: bipolar disorder, I believe it's called nowadays. Thanks, Veronika :)
agree  Lydia Molea
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Lydia :)
agree  Tina Vonhof (X)
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Tina :)
agree  airmailrpl: -
16 hrs
  -> Thanks, airmailrpl :)
agree  Alexandra Taggart: depressed/ agressive as well as depressed/euphoric
1 day 4 hrs
  -> Could be; "hyperactive" was intended as a nod in that general direction. Thanks!
agree  Catherine Pawlick
1 day 8 hrs
  -> Thanks, Catherine :)
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
depressed vs. overly happy


Explanation:
that's how i understand it.

Maria Fokin
Italy
Local time: 11:05
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in RussianRussian
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1 day 8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
extremely low/depressed (mood) or extremely high/happy/ecstatic (mood)


Explanation:
I believe the English was missing modifiers, but what the other posters said is correct. What they meant to write was low *mood* or high (elated) *mood* -- bipolar is a concise way of putting it. Basically at either extreme on the range of emotions.

Catherine Pawlick
United States
Local time: 12:05
Native speaker of: English
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