I'm wondering if anyone knows what the difference is between racing thoughts in bipolar disorder vs. OCD. I frequently have a loud inner voice and I am overly analytical, but it doesn't normally interfere with my life or cause anxiety. I had some problems with mood years ago and I would have these times of agitated ruminating where my thoughts would run through my head very quickly, causing me to feel like there was a massive pressure inside my head. Once I took a bottle of painkillers just to shut them up and landed myself in the ER. After that, I found that alcohol was more effective and safer, so I used that for awhile.
Now I have a child and don't abuse any substances and my mood has stabilized, but about two years ago I started having trouble sleeping because of the racing thoughts in my head. They aren't about anything, it's not an obsessive fixation on one thing, it's just a loud voice that prevents me from sleeping. It definitely triggered anxiety though which made the situation much worse. I find the thoughts/inner dialogue gets worse in times of stress, whether good or bad. Anything that activates my brain, even a great discussion, will get my mind going in loops and it's hard to settle down.
My doctor thinks it's anxiety/depression (she thinks everything is a serotonin deficiency) and keeps trying to prescribe me SSRIs. However, I have been on just about every medication in that class of drugs and they tend to make me wired and super talkative, Cipralex/Lexapro was the only one that didn't, and it also had no effect. I'm wondering if this might not be OCD but something else, and if there is another medication I can ask for that would deal with this symptom as it is interfering alot with my life right now? Thanks!
Hey, I constantly have a loud inner dialogue. It's never racing and fast, it's literally like a little guy who won't shut up in my head, talking rubbish. At first I thought I was schizophrenic, but I've come to realize it's just an annoyance. That's all it is. I haven't been diagnosed, my doctor just tries giving me relaxation tapes and leaflets on meditation and tells me it'll go away eventually. But to be honest...I've found alcohol very effective also
I'm not sure what it is. The most I've come to realize is that maybe my (and your) brain just works a little differently to other people. It's not a good thing, because it annoys me like hell, and it's not a bad thing, because I still manage to get stuff done in my life (despite the anxiety caused by the thoughts) So I just consider it nothing. If that's the way my brain is then so be it, because I like who I am regardless of how weird my brain is.
I know this sounds cheesy, but we're all special. The most I can advise is to just roll with it, have fun with it when you can, and when it gets too much just think of how much worse it could be.
I'm sorry if that was no help, but that's all I have to offer.
Yes, I get these. I cycle somewhat - depression and hypomania - but this includes horrid depressions and periods of frantic activity. When I am in the activity phase, the thoughts do race.
I talked to pdoc about it, and said anxiety alone can cause that.
In any case, my mind will usually just not stop. That inner voice, oh, yes.
Do you hear it as a voice from outside - or just a kind of running commentary in your mind - thoughts, not an actual voice?
Your doc - I saw mine,. she is giving me meds to try and stop, or a least ameliorate these things. Juist because it's "only" anxiety and depression doesn't make it any less of a painful thing. It should be taken seriously and treated.
May I ask what kinds of thoughts they are? Ruminations, creative thoughts?
Staralfur: I agree I feel much better when I just run with it, admit I'm a little crazy and laugh at myself. That's what I'm working on now and it definitely decreases anxiety. Meditation has not worked for me so far but I haven't really given it an honest try either.
Seaturtle: I have also had really bad depression in the past and possible hypomania, definitely SSRI-induced hypomanic symptoms. When I am depressed, I can have racing thoughts that make me feel like I'm going crazy, very agitated, can't sit still. I used to drink to calm them down. Othertimes, I will feel on top of the world, super hyper and sped up. I used to drink to calm this down also, although it usually just made me more reckless. I used to use stimulant drugs back in the day and the best way I can describe the thoughts is that when I'm "up" they're like being high on cocaine or meth, and when I'm "down" they're like coming down from these drugs, very agitated and filled with anxiety, don't want to be anywhere, just want it all to go away. The thoughts can be good or bad, creative or ruminating, or just plain scattered. The voice is definitely my own voice or a running commentary, never felt like it was coming from outside me.
In the last several years I've been more stable due to having a baby (I think pregnancy hormones left some positive changes). During my pregnancy I felt on top of the world, really serene and ecstatic. This feeling continued long after my baby was born, although I started having the racing thoughts when trying to sleep. I was doing the last year of my degree, taking some intense philosophy classes, and totally working myself to the bone, yet feeling good emotionally. It was like my mind was on overdrive, still making connections and editing my papers while I was trying to sleep, so I guess it would be too much creativity. Lately, the voice got really loud again after an emotional encounter with a recent ex-boyfriend, intense feelings of anxiety and depression, and an ongoing debate inside my head as to what to do about the relationship that I wish I could shut up and distract myself from, but it was very consuming. I feel like I'm super sensitive and I get over-stimulated really quickly and don't know how to regulate my thoughts/emotions properly.
Hiya,
Sounds like me. Have you tried a mood stabilizer? I am on Lamictal and it has worked wonders for depressions and the worst of the mood swings. I used to get the depressive cycle for months at a time, now it's usually just a week or so.
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