Do other people with bipolar disorder have trouble with obessions and difficulty making decisions? I have a LOT of trouble with these. I get really obsessed about things and then become paralyzed and can't make decisions. For example, today I'm obsessing about whether or not I have bipolar disorder or borderline personality disorder and whether or not I should keep my appointment with the psychiatrist in May. I know this isn't a logical thing to obsess over, but I can NOT quit thinking about it. And, because I can't quit thinking about it, I'm frozen and can't do anything else. This really interferes with my daily life. I'm at work right now and need to be getting ready to teach a class, but instead I'm paralyzed thinking about this one thing.

Can anyone relate?

[cmorales]

I know what you're talking about. I am very indecisive as well. It is so frustrating! I have a tendency to over think things way too much (various options, outcomes and paths, etc.) and when this happens and I can't pick, it leads to ultimately not acting at all... which only serves to frustrate me more because I then feel guilty that I chose not to do anything and think about what might have come from making a choice or taking action. I get angry at myself for this and it renders me incapable of doing much else other than obsessively think about my decision of indecision.

[tigersassy]

I can but I'm not diagnosed anything officially other than PTSD and MDD.

Tig

[LacunaCoiler]

I have trouble making decisions when I'm on the up because I want to do everything and when I'm depressed I want to do nothing. When I'm closer to my baseline I'm awesome at making decisions. I know exactly what I want and there's no second guessing myself.

As for the obsessions, me and my girlfriend say they're my periods of hyperfocus. There's nothing she can do to pull me or my mind off whatever random thing that has it. And if she does manage to get me away from whatever I'm obsessing over I get really mad. My thoughts tend to stay fixated on one thing and no matter how hard I struggle to get off of that one topic my mind always seems to go back to it regardless.

[nowIgetit]

I had both of these problems, more before I went on meds. depression during the depressive phase made me not want to do anything or make any decisions and the racing thoughts of different outcomes when I was feeling angry and manic made it difficult to actually think through any one decision. I'm not sure what causes the obsession stuff other than at least for me, it happened during my more manic times, i.e. like a tape loop of whatever I was thinking about playing rapidly over and over again in my head that I couldn't stop. I have noticed much less of both of these issues in the six weeks I've been on meds and it feels good.

[SickOfSadness]

I can relate. I semi-obsess. And u have a very very difficult time making decisions. I can't even figure out what I want to eat half of the time lol.

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[SickOfSadness]

Originally Posted by cmorales

I know what you're talking about. I am very indecisive as well. It is so frustrating! I have a tendency to over think things way too much (various options, outcomes and paths, etc.) and when this happens and I can't pick, it leads to ultimately not acting at all... which only serves to frustrate me more because I then feel guilty that I chose not to do anything and think about what might have come from making a choice or taking action. I get angry at myself for this and it renders me incapable of doing much else other than obsessively think about my decision of indecision.

Sounds like me!

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Well, I'm glad to know I'm not alone in this. Sometimes I start to feel like I'm going crazy when I get "stuck" on something. I think "hyperfocus" is a good way to describe what happens. I'm usually sort of upped when it happens, and I get so focused on something that I can't break away and think about anything else. It's really terrible. It's like my brain gets frozen on one topic.

[robosuplex]

I had a really tough time the other day while adjusting to meds, I just stared into space for hours at a time because of all the decisions I'd need to make! I either get overwhelmed thinking about everything that I need to do at once or I can't decide how to approach something so it never gets done.

My boyfriend helped me by asking "what do you have to do?" Then helping me choose from my list. If I'm stuck on how to do something he'll say "what's the first step?" And ask if I finished it or what's next if I look stuck again. I'm going to bring this up with my tdoc today, see if she has any tools to help me do it on my own. Will let you know if she has any advice!

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[littlemiss44]

Oh ya I have this problem often! You are not alone in this venture. It doesn't matter what kind of cycle im in either. Hyper or hypo I get stuck. It's like being stuck in quick sand. I'm constantly thinking "ok what huge things are going on right now that I want to solve so i won't have to worry anymore?" Then I think if all these things are solved then I'll have nothing to fear. But life isn't like that sui I'm always in a mode of obessing over things I have no control over. How the #### am I suppose to make a valid decision when I can't stop obsessing over the situation at hand? Small things aren't so hard but at that level I simply tend to.lack motivation to get it done. Geez even writing this makes me feel.crazy. I hope ice helped in some way.at least u can relate to what yr talking about.

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Originally Posted by cmorales

I know what you're talking about. I am very indecisive as well. It is so frustrating! I have a tendency to over think things way too much (various options, outcomes and paths, etc.) and when this happens and I can't pick, it leads to ultimately not acting at all... which only serves to frustrate me more because I then feel guilty that I chose not to do anything and think about what might have come from making a choice or taking action. I get angry at myself for this and it renders me incapable of doing much else other than obsessively think about my decision of indecision.

THIS. So very much this. Even came up with a name for it: Dominoes in a Blender. EVERY option, no matter how far-fetched. But what if this? And what if they…? I can't make a decision because everything hinges on everything else and I don't know what will happen after (but it will probably be bad). This is so stupid, and I know it. Loop loop loop in endless repetition. It's paralyzing. It's complicated by a history of manic-y decisions. No realistic thought whatsoever and let's do it today! But everything else? Not so much. The very worst is wanting two diametrically opposed and mutually exclusive things. Had a biggie a couple of years ago. It was literally impossible to have both. Desperately wanted both. It gnawed night and day for months on end. Long horrible story. I imploded.

But it's right down to the little things. Sometimes I have to leave the grocery store because I realize I've become hypnotized.(I've never actually been properly hypnotized, but strongly suspect just seeing a pocket watch would put me under, haha.) Just standing there in a numb haze of brain static. Don't even remember what I'm trying to decide. Or if that's even why I'm there. It's like a short circuit. It's exasperating. On the semi-humorous side, think on this: Ask me a question. My answer is, "It depends."

It's ironic too, because I used to work at this place that sold really good pie. I'd see people waffle waffle waffle and I'd want to scream, "It's PIE! FFS, how far wrong can you go?!"( Next time, get the other one!) I TRY to remember this. Once in awhile it works.