Does anyone get intrusive/obsessive thoughts?

Does anyone get intrusive, obsessive thoughts? I have never really had this before that I recall, but experienced this recently. It was particularly bad when I had the reaction to the Lexapro, and also before/during my period. I mentioned it to my psychiatrist who said I could work it out in therapy. It seems tied to my moods, although I am sure it could be useful to discuss in therapy. Just curious if this is something anyone else experiences related to an episode?

Yes. I struggle a lot with this and we work on it in therapy a lot. Probably as much as we work on anything at this point. I do have OCD which doesn't help but the thoughts often have some relationship with something I regret in my life, something I wish was different (like wishing I could work), blaming myself for things, etc. I also get a complicated auditory hallucinationy thing that is intrusive and hard to define; I'm not sure if my doctors have decided if it is hallucinations or not. We tend to call it "the thing". The thoughts happen more if in an episode but happen out of it too; they can happen when I'm actually quite happy.

I HATE these thoughts. I'm so sorry you are dealing with them and hope you get better with them.

I get intrusive thoughts everyday it doesn't matter the medication but my brain likes to remind me about little things I've messed on or that I'm the cause or something. My family doctor thinks that mine is more anxiety based than bipolar based, since the thoughts usually make me very anxious/panicky.

Yes I get intrusive obsessive thoughts. Mine are usually linked with a mixed episode - I’m often suicidal and manic concurrently.
I have worked on strategies with a psychologist to not let these thoughts ‘stick’. My psychiatrist also expects me to take PRN’s as soon as these thoughts occur.

I have them, a lot right now , I’m not doing so great atm my head is what I call “ loud”

It’s pretty common to have these thoughts , just make sure they stay just thoughts not heading towards actions

I have an anxiety about people randomly collapsing- not people I don't know, I wouldn't, for example, message someone on the forum to say be careful, you might collapse, no... people I know.

it's hard to explain- when I'm around someone it's almost like I am restricting them.. don't sleep, don't lean down too far, don't cough, don't breav fast, don't sleep, don't try moving in your chair to a better position, all of that stuff will trigger the thoughts- what I'll do is grab their arm and just shake them until I know they are okay.

if, for example, I'm around someone and they go home, it triggers the thoughts too

are you going to have a massive heart attack?

are you going to have a massive collapse and cause a zombie apocalypse

are you going to give us a virus where all of us collapse?

and the funny thing about these thoughts is that they are completely random

I might be fine around someone for a few minits, and then go... don't do that, because you'll fall, and for the rest of the day I'll worry about it

even more funny is that I don't actually care if I fall. i'm not worried

they are annoying thoughts, ones I wish I didn't have- it's bad for me and also the people I'm around

I was about to say something else, but it's gone

OMG, YES. Constantly. I don't think the intrusive/obsessive thoughts ever stop. If I could, I would take something - anything - to have just one day of a calm, quiet mind.

I get these too. Intrusive voices in my head. They just appear and seem like someone else. In fact i often argue with this other voice!

I wonder if you also have OCD in conjunction with bipolar? That's actually how I found out I had OCD because I started getting intrusive thoughts. Went through therapy, which helped a lot, but ended up having to start an anti-depressant to help manage the OCD, which manifested itself in other ways beside the intrusive thoughts. I read somewhere that it is pretty common to have these two illnesses together. For me, my OCD symptoms flare up when I'm in a depressive state and get better when I'm in a manic state.

I get intrusive thoughts to reread things over again and to say what I'm thinking aloud. I also get thoughts to do inappropriate things, like touch someone next to me while they're talking.

I was wondering this, too. I have never really had them bad enough before this year to meet that diagnosis I don't think? I know I can be a bit obsessive about things, but never had these kind of weird thoughts that I recall. It got really bad during a mixed episode. I thought my psychiatrist might ask more questions to screen me for it, but he just recommended I discuss the reason behind it in therapy. I hope therapy can help me, too. Thanks for the response.

That sounds really tough to have them all the time. Is it due to your episodes do you think?

I get them often too. I usually get them when I am alone with my mind. I was once told everyone gets these thoughts. It's those that act out on them are the sick ones.

I guess it depends how much the thoughts disturb you. I think having really intrusive thoughts can still mean you're sick even if you don't act on them.

No problem. The international ocd foundation website is a good resource that might help you determine whether you have the illness, although I’m sure your doctor and therapist can help as well. For me, the key is not whether you have intrusive thoughts but how you respond to them. Everyone gets intrusive thoughts from time to time, but someone with OCD is really bothered by them and thinks having them makes them a bad person, etc. The unwanted thoughts are defined as obsessions. Then, The sufferer engages in compulsive behavior in order to alleviate the feelings of anxiety or guilt that were caused by the thoughts, which only makes matters worse.

Thank you for the hug

It seems to me that the intrusive thoughts are "grand" or much more inspiring and nice when I'm feeling manic...music playing in my mind, tremendous creativity, feeling that I am doing great things. When I'm not manic, or more mixed, the intrusive thoughts are more like obsessive rumination, absolutely without stopping. As if dull, monotonous, discordant tones are moaning in my mind constantly.

For example, right now I am obsessively worrying about my usual terror (that one of my cats will get sick). In addition, I facilitate a NAMI support group; yesterday we had a group member become hostile and threatening. I was extremely shaken up by the incident. I want to forget about it for the week-end, but I cannot. It replays over, over, over, over...the incident, what I should do about the situation, whether I should resign, who I should communicate with regarding the situation, who should I trust, do I trust anyone......on and on and on. So much so that the thoughts begin to blur and hum; there is no relief...I feel completely crazy. Awful. I am exhausted; the only chance to escape is through sleep.

As for the OCD/BD link...everyone is different. That said, I have not seen that certain symptoms fit neatly into dx's - especially when thoe symptoms increase in severity. I have BD, severe anxiety, PTSD, and definitely some OCD. When it comes to the intrusive/obsessive thinking...the 4 dx's melt one into another, the lines blur. Eventually it doesn't matter which symptom indicates a specific disorder, I just need relief, or I feel I will die. Not that I might die, but I will die.

Laurie, you have a point about the dx not being as important as the cure. However, I do think the OCD diagnosis is important in this case since there is a very specific therapy called ERP that is proven to be successful in treating the disorder, which would differ from how bipolar is treated. Also, many people with OCD need an SSRI in addition to the therapy depending on the severity. Of course, this can cause problems for those with bipolar, but you can overcome that by adding a mood stabilizer.

Sure, that's why dx can be helpful - to give a focus to treatment. And, too, dx can be frustrating when there is a known treatment that is not available to everyone. For example, I live in a town in which I am extremely fortunate to fine a therapist at all. There is absolutely no chance for me to receive ERP. Also, health insurance is a huge issue for many.


Medication, yes, fortunately it is available to almost everyone except those souls living in third world countries. But, I have never heard of anyone to this moment who has experienced more than very slight relief from OCD symptoms from an SSRI.

I really don't know...sometimes a dx seems important to me; other times it just causes enormous confusion and adds stress. That's why I have come to the conclusion that treating the symptoms is of more value than treating a specific disorder - because there are so many times when disorders overlap...it can get crazy, in itself.

There is also the stupidness about having to have a specific dx for insurance purposes. UGH. How ridiculous is that!

I've been rapid cycling all week and intrusive thoughts are a new something I'm dealing with. I didn't quite know what they were at first or why I was having full panic attacks about everyone I know or have come in contact with suddenly dying.


I try to snap myself out of it with logic but it hasn't been working, yet.

I get this with my hypomanic or mixed episodes. I get intrusive sexual thoughts and impulses many of which are disgusting to me. I don’t act on them. I also get intrusive “worries” about people talking behind my back or having a low opinion of me. I put that in quotes because I know those worries are not valid. My pdoc says I don’t have OCD because I have no rituals to relieve the obsessive thoughts. I can’t make them stop except if something really distracts me sometimes they lighten up for a bit. Otherwise they are always there unless I’m stable.

I'm so sorry that you're having that experience.
To me, it feels exhausting to try to use logic against intrusive thoughts. I just become more and more fatigued.

Sometimes distraction can help - changing your environment; sometimes even pleasant, consistent background noise can help. For example I was never a baseball fan until 3 1/2 years ago when I was having a severe breakdown. One afternoon a baseball game happened to be on TV and I found myself caught up in it. The consistent hum-noise of the game and my interest in it helped to at least reduce the non-stop negative thoughts. It was as though the thoughts were replaced with something not deep or intellectual, but just with fun and relaxation. When my mind had a break I was able to feel less anxious.

The other possibility is medication. Do you feel like your meds are helping, or need a change?