Bipolar Disorder? How To Slow Down The Thoughts

Hi,

Hope you’re doing ok today.

I saw this post on my blog at:

www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarsupporterblog

Lori

Hi Dave,
Well I am new to this site and have been
diagnosed for years with all sorts of stuff and
had lots of testing done to figure out that i am
bipolar II with adhd, so much fun. I have been
on meds for little over a month and trying to hold
down a job, well anyways, had a few good days
and then a gal at work just triggered me like
crazy and so writing to hopefully slow my head
down.

It is good to hear that my episodes have the
chance to get fewer and farther between and what
i would give to not have an episode for years.
I have a huge issue with rapid cycling and feeling
of impending doom with my episodes and cant
see reality for what it truly is. I hate this illness,
but just a beginner in finally getting medicated
for it and getting hope for my future. Anyways
thanks for this website and all your hard work.”
———————————————————-

I want to talk about a few things in this post.

First, thanks Lori for all your kind comments.

Second of all, Lori makes a big point in her post.

Many people with bipolar disorder have a problem with racing thoughts.

You might think it only happens to people when they’re in an episode, but that’s not
necessarily true.

Even people with bipolar disorder who are stable still have times when they can’t turn
off their thoughts.

Some have what’s called PRN, or as needed, medication that they keep on hand for times
like those, prescribed by their doctor, that helps them slow down those racing thoughts.

For supporters, I explain it like this:

You know how some nights, you have those times where, no matter what you do, you toss
and turn in bed, and you just can’t sleep, no matter what you do?

It’s like, in your mind, you just keep replaying the day in your head?

Or you keep thinking about the kids, or your husband, or your parents, or work, or about
the past or the future, or whatever?

Like you just can’t shut your mind off?

Only, in your case, this doesn’t happen very often.

And you might take an over-the-counter sleep aid to help you go to sleep. Or a hot bath. Or read
a book till you get tired enough to sleep.

But for someone with bipolar disorder, those racing thoughts just never shut off, no
matter what they do. The thoughts come out of nowhere. They stay. They go around
and around, and no matter what your loved one does, they can’t stop those racing thoughts.

For them, it doesn’t just happen once in a blue moon like it does for you.

For them, it’s part of their bipolar disorder.

They can’t help it. And it’s very frustrating for them.

Now maybe you can understand it a little better.

I’ve already talked about one way for people with bipolar disorder to handle racing
thoughts, and that is to take medication for it.

Writing or doing something creative for many with bipolar disorder is a great way to slow down
your head and channel your energy from the racing thoughts, too.

Which brings up another point (the energy) from Lori’s email.

She talks about being a rapid-cycler.

Boy, is that tough.

I talk about the different types of bipolar disorder in my courses/systems, and rapid-cycling is a type of bipolar disorder:

NEW
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BIPOLAR DISORDER?
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/bipolarmastersystem/

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http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11

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HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net

My mom is a rapid-cycler, too.

What that means is that she can go from one mood extreme to the other and back again, in the
same month, week, or even some people do it in the same day!

Can you imagine how hard that is for someone to live with?

Just when you’re starting to feel better…

CRASH!

Down comes the mood again.

Then…

WOW!

You’re all excited again!

And these mood swings are SO unpredictable!

Ask anyone with bipolar disorder what the most frustrating part about it is, and they’ll probably tell you that if you’re a rapid-cycler, the most frustrating part is the unpredictability of it. You
never know when the moods are going to change.

But, again, you can write about your thoughts and feelings in a journal.

You can also keep a mood chart or diary, where you record your moods every day and try to see patterns as they develop, so you can head off an episode before it happens.

As a supporter, you can help your loved one by watching closely for triggers and signs and symptoms before an episode comes on.

Then either your loved one or you needs to get in touch with the doctor or psychiatrist to get your loved one the help that they need before they go into that episode.

But, on a daily basis, for people like Lori, channeling the creativity and energy of bipolar disorder is the best way to handle their bipolar disorder, like by journaling or doing creative things like projects.

What about you or your loved one?

Have you had a problem with racing thoughts?

How do you handle them?

What about rapid cycling?

How do you handle that?

David Oliver is the author of the shocking guide “Bipolar Disorder—The REAL Silent Killer.” Click Here to get FREE Information sent via email on how and why bipolar disorder kills.

  1. Dave Its like you know what has been going on in my head. Last week I was really really bad with the racing thoughts and nothing nor nobody to get through to me. I was sucicidal. And Thanks to suzanne last Wed night I didnt do anything, and then on fri i got up and it had just stopped like that for 10 days going to just stop.

    My question is what about the next? Will I be so lucky? Its the best I have felt in months. Will I wake up tomorrow or next week the same or will i be back down with the thoughts racing again?

    God Bless Amanda

  2. its very difficult to deal with someone that rapid cycles try and deal with a 14 year old and a husband that triggers her because he rufuses to get help himself now thats a tough one for me because everyone blames me but you cannot force someone to get help for their bipolar i have learned all these 14years we have been married that its better to stay outta the way and just let them throw their fits it soon ends and quiets down but yes the rapid cycling and mood swings are terrible some days you just have to live day by day and pray for the best and just peek plugging away

  3. Hello Dave,
    My partner of 19 years was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after we had been together 10 of those 19 years already. I have experience with both the pre- and post-medication eras. It was very, very hard for me in the 10 years prior to diagnosis–talk about suicide that brought me to tears, highly erratic behavior within the same day that put me also on emotional roller-coaster, extreme opinions about people, and rapid and confused speech.

    What is common to both the 10 years and the 9 years after medication is everything except the talk about suicide. I often handle the rapid thought- and speech-patterns by asking him to slow down and asking 1 question at a time to untangle the ideas so that I’m clear about what’s being conveyed. I also give him examples on how to construct an idea by starting at the first step and working slowly to the next and the last; his pattern is often to start with the conclusion. He acknowledges the strategies but falls back into his usual mode. He also travels very quickly from one subject to another, with large generalizations along the way. It takes a lot of energy and patience to work through this day in and day out, for 19 years. I can only do so much, being the breadwinner and relatively more grounded person, and often lack the patience necessary.

    I often feel taxed and vulnerable, having to come up with solutions on my own, analyze the behavior, and keep an even keel. I try to keep things in perspective and value him for the affection, tenderness, and devotion to me and our life that he has shown. It’s getting harder and harder, though, and I search for support myself, knowing that we’re entering another phase of our lives together.

  4. Sometimes a just feel like banging me head off a brick wall, Sometimes a feeel like shotting me self off the nearest cliff. WAT A GOOD LIFE IN IT.

  5. Dear Dave:
    I have been on medication since Sept.2006, for bipolar and borderline personality disorded. I have also been diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder by a professional pysh. evalation. The doctor said I was in denial about the PTSD.
    I do not totally understand what racing thoughts are. I feel like I have to be doing something ALL the time. In my work I move constantly even if I do things tha are supposed to be done by all just to stay busy. At home I find myself rotating doing more than one thing at a time. Such as rotating, cleaning house, doing a bible study, getting myself dressed (i.e. doing hair and makeup) This is even when I sleep, I am on 500 mg of S. at night and I still wake up every 2 to 3 hours for at least 10 to 15 minutes. The only other medication I am on is L. 300 mg a day.
    To make a long story short none of my co-workers at any of the job’s I have ever held (and I am 42) like me, most of them hate me. This not hearsay this comes out of their mouths. My bosses have always been proud of me and let this be known. What am I doing wrong? Am I more mentally disturbed than I realize. Does anyone else out there deal with this?

  6. A friend of mine and i have come up with the best way to describe to “others” (those who do not have BiPolar) how racing thoughts manifests itself. Especially in the case of trying to go to the grocery store or some other outing. Imagine you are walking around the store with a tape recorder and you are taping conversations. Say you have 10 or so on the tape. Now play them all in sucession, one on top of another, some softer some louder and put the recorder inside your head. Now with that going on, try and pay attention to the conversation your spouse is having with you, or your kids whininh about the new toy they want. All of this is happening for us at the same time. So for the supporters who may read this, bear with us. On our “bad” days, we do not ignore you and we definately care what you have to say. Chances are, we really DONT hear you because of all of the clutter in our heads. My boyfriend has found that if i am having a “bad” day, avoiding trips to the stores and such is usually a very good idea because it does not take much to trip me into a nasty mood. And by the way, a comment for Puddd, yes some of us know exactly what you are going through. The best way i can describe it, forgive yet another metaphor, imagine you are in a classroom. In front of you is one of those old movie projectors, to the right is a slide show prsentation and to the left is a regular television. All three of these things are showing different movies and all the while, there is the scroll marquee above and below (like the Nasdaq scores and such) playing two different themes. Now for me, this is a constant. The PRN medications do nothing but slow down the movement of these screens but they are still there. What ultimately helps is to trick yourself into shutting them off. Learn to focus on only two or three of the themes. No its still not the “normal” way of handling things. But for us, it is as “normal” as it may get and it does work to quiet things down a bit.

  7. Dave,
    I agree with the completely on how disruptive the racing thoughts can be.

    During periods of my life when they have been very intrusive, I also found writing thoughts down was very helpful. For me, it was usually not at all productive to go back and read what I had written, because for the most part they didn’t make any sense. I suppose just the act of having to concentrate on what you are putting down on paper, mercifully would stop them (or at least slow them down) Racing thoughts are just what their name indicates, they can go around pretty fast.

    For me they worked because I seemed to need a diversion to slow down the thoughts as they race through my brain.
    The distraction of watching tv or listening to the radio also seemed to help.

    My problem used to be when night would come. Even after being heavily medicated at night, the times that the racing thoughts were especially active, I still needed a physical diversion. Sometimes it was necessary to put both the tv and the radio on.

    I was very fortunate when 24/7 radio and tv became the vogue.

    It isn’t too often that I am plagued with the racing thoughts. I have been going through this stuff so many years i know that I should go to some sort of professional because it can be a precursor to a manic episode.

  8. Hi,
    I am a rapid cycler and can cycle daily. I also have racing thoughts. I have learnt to go with the flow. I enjoy the happy part and when I go down or get irritable, I try different techniques to get out of that part of the cycle like have coffee with a funny friend or meditate. I also try to remember to accept what I cannot change – my bipolar. It is my attitude that I need to keep an eye on. As for suicidal thoughts, I have them every day, I just don’t act upon them. I have seen the effects of suicide on families and I don’t want to hurt my family. I realize that suicide is a selfish act. Much as life can be painful, I must do what is necessary to handle that pain. If the pain gets too great, then it is time for the psyche ward and a treatment change.

  9. I was excited to read a post about racing thoughts. I am the only parent of a 15 year old BP teen. And some days she is just going and going and going. I am really trying not to get frustrated when she is doing something with one person, then 2 minutes later her plans have changed. I’ve started sitting down with her. Explaining what I’m hearing and then having her go back and tell me the steps she took to get there. i.e. the original friend can’t go and someone else just called etc. She has a lot of freedom but I always want to know where she is and with whom. By having her outline the steps, she can see which friend, or project, or experience, is top on her list. Then we only deal with that one.
    Thanks for all the great ideas!
    Annie

  10. To AMANDA: You’re welcome! I HOPE and PRAY that your stable mood right now will last for awhile. Just remember – you have a LOT of friends on this blog who will empathize with you and give you suggestions on how to get you OUT of a suicidal ideation. PRAISE God you made it through the “dark side,” and NOW are on the good side. I’m soooo PROUD of you!! Keep the faith!

    I have tinnitus (ringing in the ear), and when the racing thoughts come, there’s nothing I can do to distract myself. I listen to radio 24/7 for the “ringing” already, so that is NOT a solution for me. The racing thoughts are just exactly how the woman stated above – toooo much information all at once. It’s HARD to focus on just ONE idea or thought – they bombard my brain to the point where I develop aphasia (difficulty speaking clearly). I had such an attack in 2005 (after I moved into my condo), and was treated by the Community Mental Health clinic. I couldn’t even carry on a logical conversation; the “voices” in my head were taking over. I had NO control whatsoever. The only reason I WASN’T hospitalized was that they had stopped my PaxilCR because it wasn’t being made anymore, and put me on Wellbutrin, then Prozac, neither of which worked. Finally, they started making the PaxilCR again, they put me back on it, and everything cleared up! But – it was plenty FRIGHTENING while I was going through it…

    Right now, I’m going through the process of getting used to a new cigarette. You may not THINK that’s a big deal, but it IS. My usual cigs now cost $50/carton – unfrigginbelievable! I bought the cheapest they had. I had done this before, and found out that I began to feel “strange” – lightheaded and somewhat confused. My therapist said she thought it was a “different formulary” of nicotine in the new cigarettes. Well, yeah, and now it’s almost like “quitting,” which is what I’ve REALLY got to do 🙁

    BIG HUGS to all bipolar survivors and those who love us. May God bless you real good. I pray for my country.

  11. Personally, Klonopin taken as necessary (“PRN”) helps my racing thoughts. Also, taking a scented bath and laying my head on a bath pillow, with a relaxation CD playing nearby.
    Sometimes, after I take the Klonopin, I shut off the TV, radio and take the phone off the hook, and go into my bedroom to just lie down, not necessarily sleep, for about 1/2 hour to 1 hour. Pull the shades, get under the covers, and just let the thoughts pass thru my head instead of getting stuck there.

  12. Hi there..

    I too have rapid thought & cyclic mood swings.. I can go for weeks doing just fine then BANG!.. sometimes I feel so guilty about having BP, and PTSD because my kids, now 15 & 11 have been through more then I would have liked them too.. having said that, my ex husband and I have sat them down and talked to them about the ~mood disorder~ I have, etc etc..
    I do have seroquel for night time as I cant sleep, and also have it PRN, my other medication is Quetiapine.. been on it 2 years now.. and can honestly say YAY!!.. despite the weight gain, the headaches, and still bottoming out into deep sucidal thoughts and depression, ermm a bit more regular then I would like.. I am at last beginning to realise this is not any of my doing, i am not MENTAl as my family says, and yes, I no longer have anything to do with any of them, the relationships are too toxic, and I always end up feeling really bad about myself after seeing them..

    Anyways, I just wanted to say hi and put my 2 cents worth in.. Dave You alone despite all my therapies in the past, have helped me come to terms with my illness, and accept it.. I learn something from every email or post on Your site..

    a big THANKYOU from this kiwi girl 🙂

    take care all and may the sun shine in Your souls today

    Joolz

  13. Hi all. Thanks to the Bi-polar survivors who took the time to write their comments here today. My hubby has B.P. and goes through the rapid cycling some days and I know he has the racing thoughts thing. He is not on any treatment at the moment other than Limictin, but I learn so much from you all and from Dave’s emails, that it helps me to cope with this illness. Must admit though, do get my days where I want to quit but then another brilliant email arrives, I read this blog, and it gives me the encouragement I need to carry on another day. Thanks for the insights into seeing what the racing thoughts feel like – very helpful. I notice when my hubby is battling with this, he sits one side at his p.c. and plays some card games there, in peace and quiet. We don’t bug him there, he says it helps him to unwind and “put his brain into neutral”. Heh heh. Well, do keep up the good work and stay strong. God bless. Colleen, South Africa

  14. Hi!

    I also have ADD which I take medication for and it also seems to tame the racing thoughts.

    It is very uncomfortable to have them, because most of the time, I’ll jump around from subject to subject and never mind where I’ll leave off.

    The bipolar meds help with this too.

    Where would I be without the meds?

  15. Hi Dave,

    I joined your e-mail course after I went searching for info on bipolar for my fiancè who still doesn’t really understand what it’s all about. I am a rapid-cycler with racing thoughts, and whenever I feel things are just to much, I break down (which happens quite often). I feel totally alone as no-one really understands what I am going through. I have a friend who has a friend who tried to commit suicide after his wife left him. (He is a depression sufferer) I told her about my “condition”, and also that I have tried committing suicide twice over about 10 years. She seemed to understand, until her group (she is a baby massage instructor) had a discussion about suicide, and they all said the same thing. It is a very selfish act to perform. They don’t understand the desperation of living with depression, whether normal or bipolar. I think about suicide a lot, but have only really tried twice, and failed. Do your loved ones ever really understand what it is about and how to deal with it, or do they just pretend? The one girl said to me that if I carry on this way I am never going to reach 40 as I am always unwell. I told her that I am not sick, and that I suffer from bipolar, and that there is a difference. Is there anyone else who has to constantly bite their tongues and try to think twice before they spit some remark to someone?

  16. Iam a Vietnam Vet surffing from PTSD and three years ago told that i also have Bipolar disorder,I am Medicated with three kinds of drugs.these drugs do help some but their is times i think about killing my self,just a few weeks ago i came across your web site and looked at some of your work and i liked what i seen and now i get your Subscription and just reading your letters make me fill better. Thanks DAVE. T.O.Clayton

  17. Dear Dave:
    I have been married for 37 years to a wonderful man. He got injured on the job about 3 years ago and our lives have been downhill from there. He has gotten in trouble with the law, lied to me, hides money from me, even though I need it to pay bills, and the list goes on and on. Finally, he got so bad that he took something from a family member, that was just unforgivable to me. I was about to leave him. The police came, and he asked them to help him. (He was suicidal.) Something clicked in me, that he was not himself anymore. We checked him into a mental health facility and found out that he had bipolar. Imagine that I have been married to him all these years, with no clue.

    I am not going to tell you that all is well, but we cope with each day as best that he can. He is taking medication and goes to counseling every 2 weeks. It saddens me that we have gone through so much, when had someone told us about this, we could have made our lives so much better.

    To the lady married 19 years, if you really love him, you will do your best to help him. Get him into counseling and the proper medication. These two things are a must! The last thing, is to use this website, it is a great help to all of us.

  18. Hi, I am bipolar and have had it alot of my life. They diagnosed me when I was 30 and I am glad to read about this problem. I have the rapid thoughts, not as bad as most of these people. I have been on massive doses of medication that made it hard to think or to express my thoughts to others and then I go to stages when I talk fast and change topics. Luckily I have a husband who tries to get me to say new topic when I switch subjects. Because I have so many ideas that I feel i have solutions to.
    A couple of times I went to new Doctors and tried to tell them all about me at one time. All because there is so much physically going on with me. It is easiest to just show them my medicine list and they can figure out what physical problems I have.
    Right now I am slowed down so much that I don’t want to be with my friends. To write to them. Other times I just want to talk to someone. But can’t find someone to talk to. That quite often is when I end up going to the hospital, in an episode as you call it.
    I am grateful to have this site where I can put on paper my thoughts and then either pass them on to close friends by e-mail or just stash it in a file to help me to talk out or explain my life to friends or to someone.
    What I have found out today is that my racing thoughts are not nearly as bad as alot of people. Plus they do not come that frequently. I think it’s been since September since I have had the racing thoughts. Basically I have been doped up on medicines and I go about slowly and have trouble talking to people. I have trouble even wanting to talk to people. I spend alot of time on my computer making new friends and sending out things that I have found that help others to be motivated. I usually try to help people. But right now I just feel like staying at home and hybernating.

  19. hi Dave! My boyfriend of nine years is a rapid cycler, and lately I got him interested in helping me to plant seeds for our garden..he LOVES it! so…. naturally he has been cleaning the ENTIRE yard, raking leaves, etc.!!! The hard part is getting himm to stop for 10 minutes to eat! My sweety has bad dreams and has ground his teeth at nite untill they are nubs…we are trying to find him a clinic we can afford , to get him some meds. But anyway, just stopped in to say hi to all of you, and to say that what helps us is to start a project, no matter how small!! It slows his thoughts down, but his body gets revved up , so NO WAY I can keep up.. thats why god made lounge chairs hehe take care and thanks Dave! San

  20. TO ANGELIQUE: I am amazed that no one else chimed in and commented back to you. Hey DAVE, someone should start a study about us BP’s and our inability to be tactful. lol. Yes dy dear Angelique. If all of the BP people who read this were to be honest, we ALL have probelms biting our tongues and not snapping at people who “pretend” to understand. Beleive me, you are NOT alone. I still stuggle with this…yes daily. And i wish i could give you some sort of cure all answer to help but the bitter truth is there isnt any. Until the day that the masses are eduated on what BP REALLY is instead of the garbage that has been beleived thus far, i think we will all have to struggle. The best thing you can do for yourself, at least this has worked for me and my boyfriend, make sure he understands what it is. Dont worry so mauch about everyone in your life, friends and family included, understanding what makes you tick. Just focus on him, because untimately, he will have to become your number 1 supporter. He will be the one who is with you the majority of the time and will see the most of your good and BAD days. Try to forget making sense to people who choose to keep a closed mind because they will never change. As for the suicide, those of us that can relate, feel your pain and frustration. Its a constant battle. But if someone has never been in that place, that blackness that there doesnt seem to be any escape from and the last thing you worry about is how others will deem you “selfish”…beleive me, if they havent been there no matter what they claim…they dont understand. And they never will. Some can be empathetic and i’m not knocking that. Thank you to those that try! But remember hun, not everyone needs to understand you and the BP. Just the VERY select few that you will need to depend on in the future. Worry about them, like your finace for example and just accept the fact that most people in your life…just will not get it. Chin up hun. You ARE not alone…just read some of these blogs and take to heart that knowledge that there are those of us out there that understand your situation. All my best…
    Brandy

  21. I am Bipolar with severe manic depression. I’ve been through In-Patient & Out-Patient treatment, and learned a great deal from some wonderful people. I do not have a support system, I am married with 2 young boys. My husband has not the slightest clue on how to deal with the illnesses. My brother was murdered 4 months ago, at first it brought on my panic & anxiety disorder, then the PTSD formed, (from pysical, verbal & mental abuse as a child) then my manic behavior came out, with severe ups, the bed for 4 days.

    I would come home from group and say, “wow, I really had a good day today, I feel good” & his response was “Well, you don’t look so good, are you a little off today?” Out the window goes my good feelings.

    I told him I wanted a divorce, he said I was just sick, I took medical leave from work, and decided I could not work anymore because I felt I could not get better until I was out of this toxic relationship that would only make me worst in the long run.

    I am 4 different meds with do not seem to help, I see a therapist weekly, Phsyciatrist monthly,and a husband who thinks I have a switch in my head that I can just shut off and go back to “NORMAL”!

    I’m at my wits end, Staying up for 48 hrs, obsessing the Refrigorator is not organized, then not showering for 2 days on my lows! HELP!!!!!

  22. Hey all,

    I was told diagnosed of the same symptom n disorder!..tell u what all medication n drugs are useless for this! i got it controlled just by self-will! u can do it too! meditation is the best help but even that is just a mention next to self-will!..just bring ur will to silence ur thoughts into your consciousness!—-> thats wil c u have the last laugh!—> the answer is within!

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