[Starchild3]

My OCD has been fairly minimal lately but today I woke up and have reorganized my kitchen and am moving into the bathrooms. It seems fairly healthy but I have been more on the hypo-manic spectrum the past few days and I'm wondering if this means anything. I am new to this and am wondering if these are signs I'm going into a hypo-manic/manic phase. If so is there anything I need to do? I want to try to learn the signs and get help or learn how to try to decrease the symptoms if that is possible. Thanks

[madisgram]

this info may help you
http://psychcentral.com/disorders/sx21.htm
also if you are concerned re how you are feeling you can consult with your therapist.

i can't diagnose if you're becoming hypomanic but here are some good suggestions for coping with it:
Self-management
People who have experienced hypomania often know the signs of an approaching episode and can use a variety of strategies to prevent it from happening, such as getting plenty of sleep (this is particularly important), avoiding stimulants such as caffeine, and trying to induce a sense of calm (complementary therapies such as aromatherapy, yoga or meditation can help to achieve this). They also know to avoid making major decisions and to avoid risky behaviour such as spending sprees.
Talking treatments
Counselling and other talking therapies such as cognitive behaviour therapy may be useful in helping a person to recognise when hypomania is developing, and in keeping the symptoms under control, e.g. in helping them to resist the temptation to overspend or indulge in other types of risky behaviour.

[SunAngel]

My OCD kicks into overdrive when I am anxious or stressed. OCD is an anxiety disorder and really kicks in when you are feeling a lot of anxiety or are completely stressed out.

However, if you are cleaning and reorganizing more than you usually do and are getting things done really, really fast, it may very well be that you are heading for, or are in, a state of hypo.

[Starchild3]

Oh boy! I think I'm heading into hypo-mania..... I'm just over 1 week on Lamictal. Is it normal to rapidly cycle in the begining? I am "catching" myself doing things I don't normally do and I can control it for a little bit and then I'm back to my elated, excitable state

Think you're right Starchild3... it does sounds like hypomania. Sometimes that can happen starting a med, so it may even out, but be sure to keep an eye on it, ok? IIRC, usually they titrate going from 50mg to 100mg in one step. Maybe it's just a little too big a jump for your particularly chemistry. How about asking your Pdoc? Maybe they'd want to make a partial step back (like... 75???) to ease the transistion.

Re: OCD, like Anika, mine kicks up under stress. But I can relate to what you're saying too. Seems the extra energy brings zealotry in some aspects to another level...