[BipolarGirl86]

I haven't heard or talked to many people with bipolar disorder that mention doing certain things in an obsessive way so I am wondering if it is just me or even if it is a part of dealing with being bipolar. Like there are times when I get interested in certain activities, hobbies or anything and I will end up doing things regarding that activity or hobby excessively until I get bored with it or find something new to obsess over. As an example; for about a month straight I religiously tracked my moods on multiple mood trackers and journals and thought it was the best thing ever. I would keep trying to find ways to make the tracking process look neater and more extensive, then one day I woke up and was like ok that’s it I don’t want to do this anymore. But during that month I couldn’t imagine myself not keeping track of my moods.

I am noticing it more and more that I am doing that with a lot of different things. And these “obsessive” periods could last anywhere between a few days to a month on average. I will find myself getting interested in stuff and try to learn as much as I can about a certain subject and then out of no where thats it.. on to something else. A good majority of the time it’s not even just your normal “Oh well, I just heard about this.. let me look in to it.” It’s more like, “Oh well, I need to learn everything there is to know about this and I need to learn it now.”

Does anyone else get like this at all? Is this even a symptom of being bipolar?

[BeyondtheRainbow]

I have a sort-of OCD diagnosis because of this kind of thing. It's sort of because they can't decide if it is part of my bipolar or a 3rd fun anxiety disorder. It always gets worse when I feel bad.

[Sakura13]

Yes, I do too! But then again, I'm OCD. I actually get really obsessive with certain types of television shows and movies. I have to keep myself from watching some because it's just really hard to avoid it. I totally understand where you're coming from, though!

[tipper1492]

Google search "How a person with bipolar thinks." One of the big things is obsession. Of course the article speaks of other ways we BP people thing, mostly in "extreme" ways. It's right there for you to read and it helped me to understand self better.

[mattjstead]

I do the same thing !

[Crazy Hitch]

I have OCD but I think mine is possibly not related to BP.

Dunno.

I just love clicking buttons repeatedly.

Go ask my friends who I plonk random songs on their PC Walls daily.

That is the truth.

*Click

[lunaticfringe]

This is me to a T.

[cashart10]

Me also. Celebrities, politics, feminism, the 60's (so in touch with the decade I was certain I was a reincarnate hippie. I dressed the part authentically, I listened to the music, didn't shave, napped and hid under trees all the time, etc), various religions, even real life mentors. And those are just the biggies. I do it with exercising, drinking water, eating healthy, how to discipline my children, reading, watching certain shows, listening to the SAME song on repeat for days, weeks, sometimes months at a time. I was hard core left wing for years and almost over night transformed into hard core right wing. Now politics don't interest me and I am in the middle. I was lesbian and fighting for LGBT rights, with a masculine girlfriend (though our relationship was not brazen), then anti-gay judeo christian, dating men. The hardcore left to right wing wasn't your everyday switch from one party to the other. I was a wannabe activist, ani difranco obsessed, green party affiliate once, and a defensive, anti ani, tea party affiliate next. I am certain I could go on. Hopefully I don't do it with PC. I really love you all.

[Crazy Hitch]

Yup.

Just thinking about my OCD reminded me of an Eminem song and now I needed to change my status update - again:

So I keep conjuring, sometimes I wonder where these thoughts spawn from
(Yeah, pondering'll do you wonders.
No wonder you're losing your mind the way it wanders.)
Yoda-loda-le-hee-hoo
I think it went wandering off down yonder
And stumbled on 'ta Jeff VanVonderen
'Cause I need an interventionist
To intervene between me and this monster
And save me from myself and all this conflict
'Cause the very thing that I love's killing me and I can't conquer it
My OCD's conking me in the head
Keep knocking, nobody's home, I'm sleepwalking
I'm just relaying what the voice in my head's saying
Don't shoot the messenger, I'm just friends with the

[Crazy Hitch]

I'd hug my own post up there if I could

[blue_eyed_panda]

I've been diagnosed with OCD and bipolar 2. OCD runs in my family and I have things I do that are consistent with OCD. I obsess over subjects/things/activities for days/weeks/months, I really like even numbers and try to "fix" odd numbers so that they can seem even. I eat small candies in pairs and when I chew I have to feel like the left and right have been used evenly (though I don't count). I also do this thing with my fingers on my left hand when stressed and occasional when bored. It's something that starts off subconscious too. I could go on.

So, I have both though the OCD isn't severe or anything.

[Roblovescats]

I have bipolar 1 and also ocd
I think it is common to have both.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

[BipolarGirl86]

Originally Posted by tipper1492

Google search "How a person with bipolar thinks." One of the big things is obsession. Of course the article speaks of other ways we BP people thing, mostly in "extreme" ways. It's right there for you to read and it helped me to understand self better.

Thank you, I didn't think to look it up on google. But I will definitely give it a try!

[BipolarGirl86]

Originally Posted by Hooligan

Yup.

Just thinking about my OCD reminded me of an Eminem song and now I needed to change my status update - again:

So I keep conjuring, sometimes I wonder where these thoughts spawn from
(Yeah, pondering'll do you wonders.
No wonder you're losing your mind the way it wanders.)
Yoda-loda-le-hee-hoo
I think it went wandering off down yonder
And stumbled on 'ta Jeff VanVonderen
'Cause I need an interventionist
To intervene between me and this monster
And save me from myself and all this conflict
'Cause the very thing that I love's killing me and I can't conquer it
My OCD's conking me in the head
Keep knocking, nobody's home, I'm sleepwalking
I'm just relaying what the voice in my head's saying
Don't shoot the messenger, I'm just friends with the

Yea, that eminem song keeps popping into my head at random times lol. Now I think I need to listen to it.. I can actually relate to some of the lyrics in certain songs he made. I can't remember which song this is from but the one line in his one song says, "I act like sh** don't phase me, but inside it drives me crazy."

[Shadesofdark]

Yes, the same, any subject, gotta be a guru, then boom on to something else again, they say it's OCD, I think its more Bipolar.

[Nix]

I get really obsessive about certain things, too, and it drives my husband crazy because I will talk incessantly about a specific topic or get tunnel vision on certain projects. I used to get really frustrated because I felt like jumping into anything headfirst was just a part of my personality, and to some extent, I think it still is. However, sometimes when I get going on something, I start to feel a really jumpy, airy feeling and I begin to lose all focus on anything but that particular topic, project, etc. I don't know if it's mania but it's definitely something I have to manage. It's great for creativity and organization if there's a block of time, but I've definitely learned to put down those types of projects in the evenings or I'm awake forever.

I am diagnosed with OCD. My OCD is pure obsessional and present out side of mood episodes. I get violent distressing images over and over.

When I am about to go high (which hasnt happened in ages) I get obsessional about cleaning, reading and writing. But thats not really OCD.

[longtime]

Originally Posted by tipper1492

Google search "How a person with bipolar thinks." One of the big things is obsession. Of course the article speaks of other ways we BP people thing, mostly in "extreme" ways. It's right there for you to read and it helped me to understand self better.

Thanks for the google search "how a person with bipolar thinks". I have searched a lot of ways for info, but this is helping out alot. My cognitive abilities are not too sharp right now and sometimes I need to be led to what I'm trying to find. Hope it's ok for me to butt into a topic to address one of the answers. Like I said, my cognitive aint that sharp, so excuse this if it doesn't make alot of sense, or rambles.((stop typing me and try and get some sleep) Thanks again.

[longtime]

Originally Posted by BipolarGirl86

Yea, that eminem song keeps popping into my head at random times lol. Now I think I need to listen to it.. I can actually relate to some of the lyrics in certain songs he made. I can't remember which song this is from but the one line in his one song says, "I act like sh** don't phase me, but inside it drives me crazy."

Never listened to eminem before. I'm and old fart whose partial to Bob Dylan. But these lyrics are right on with me. thanks!! I will have to give some of his songs a try.

[Macaroni9]

BipolarGirl86
I do the exact same thing. I thought it was just me. My latest "project" was learning Spanish (which I did intensely for a few weeks, spending three hundred dollars on a computer program for it) and now I am like I could not care less about it. Now I want a "running gps watch" and I have been going nutso researching them but I honestly am nt even a runner, I tell myself I WILL run if I just have this watch. I am still in the "gps watch phase" but my girlfriend/wife took all my credit cards to try and spare us another one of my binge projects. I have always done this type of thing. It is very frustrating.

Originally Posted by BipolarGirl86

I haven't heard or talked to many people with bipolar disorder that mention doing certain things in an obsessive way so I am wondering if it is just me or even if it is a part of dealing with being bipolar. Like there are times when I get interested in certain activities, hobbies or anything and I will end up doing things regarding that activity or hobby excessively until I get bored with it or find something new to obsess over. As an example; for about a month straight I religiously tracked my moods on multiple mood trackers and journals and thought it was the best thing ever. I would keep trying to find ways to make the tracking process look neater and more extensive, then one day I woke up and was like ok that’s it I don’t want to do this anymore. But during that month I couldn’t imagine myself not keeping track of my moods.

I am noticing it more and more that I am doing that with a lot of different things. And these “obsessive” periods could last anywhere between a few days to a month on average. I will find myself getting interested in stuff and try to learn as much as I can about a certain subject and then out of no where thats it.. on to something else. A good majority of the time it’s not even just your normal “Oh well, I just heard about this.. let me look in to it.” It’s more like, “Oh well, I need to learn everything there is to know about this and I need to learn it now.”

Does anyone else get like this at all? Is this even a symptom of being bipolar?