[yellow_fleurs]

Does anyone find that they have a lot of sensitivity to light, sound and touch to the point that it is very uncomfortable and makes you irritable and overwhelmed? I realized that this is maybe what is causing a lot of my irritability. I honestly cannot place what this is, I am not convinced this is related to bipolar disorder. I do not think I always had this problem, but do think I have had it for a long time. I realized sometimes when I have mini breakdowns it's because I was in an overstimulating place like an airport. I also think this is part of what got worse when taking Lexapro and what caused so much irritability. Makes me question if I have something other than bipolar disorder.

[zapatoes]

I’m sensitive to really loud noises such a bar with really loud music, and dislike the ticking of clocks or the tapping of typing on a keyboard and bright lights sometimes bother me. In the past I’ve read that autism, brain damage and sensory processing disorder maybe makes people more sensitive to noise, lights, etc. in my case I have been diagnosed with mild brain damage and a learning disorder.

[~Christina]

Sometimes the sun is too loud.

[BipolaRNurse]

For as long as I can remember, I've been sensitive to auditory and tactile stimuli. I cannot endure scratchy clothing tags or strappy sandals, and loud or repetitive sounds make me crazy. I don't know if it's related to bipolar or not, but I wouldn't be surprised if it is because so many of us suffer from it.

[Wander]

Totally. It comes an goes but can get really bad sometimes. Those times I need to be in a dark place, like bed, until I can cope with simply dealing with the sensory information in my flat. Shopping can be awful. At it's worst I shop with sunglasses on and headphones playing music. I find I notice EVERYTHING around me and get overwhelmed. I have PTSD so it could be that, but I find it gets worse during hypo/manic states. Although at those times I am so high I don't care.

[sophiebunny]

When I'm in psychotic mania I experience sensory over stimulation. Colors are brighter. Sound is louder. Even the softest fabric can feel like sand paper. Smells are gagging. Nothing tastes normal. I remember being in-patient once and watching a football game on television. I was so freaked out by the color of the grass and the noise of the crowd I had to be sedated. I was told that sensory changes are common in severe mania.

[scatterbrained04]

I'm glad I'm not the only one. Depending on what's going on with the bipolar and anxiety, I get issues with noise, touch, mess, and crowds. Also sometimes strong smells. These things can make me feel so overwhelmed or feel like I'm suffocating. This is up there in the top things that will make me get really angry and irritable. I hate it because it's confusing for the people around me, particularly my son. They can't understand why one day something won't bother me but another day it'll make me super upset.

Yes, I have become very sensitive to noises and light over the years. I also have a low stress threshold. Someone mentioned airports? They are major triggers for me.

I have a difficult time falling asleep unless my room is very dark and very quiet. The room's temperature can also be a factor.

The only sounds I can fall asleep to are ones on my sound machine (i.e. fireplace burning, rainfall, brook, and similar) or those particular sounds actually happening in real life.

I have this issue too. Like others have mentioned, it can vary in intensity. I've noticed over the years that it can be a sign that I'm headed up. (Mixed can do it too.) That's when I'm most likely to seriously flip out over such things.

There are too many to list. Crying and screaming kids, putting dishes away, excessive repetition of a sound (a chanting crowd I *might* last 15 seconds before wanting the scream STFU!!!" Or flip flops. God I hate them!), noisy clothes, scratchy clothes, sunlight (which I recently can be attributed to astigmatism(!) Who knew.), the sound and feel of a flimsy plastic bottle crunching, ... The list goes on...

It can also be attributed to being HSP (highly sensitive person). With one of my providers, we determined that I don't have that (though strong traits), maybe because some of it waxes and wanes?? Not sure. (Don't get me wrong, some of it -- like screaming kids never ceases to go straight to my bones...)

[Blue_Bird]

When I'm very paranoid I can't stand being outside or anywhere where there's people and noises, it feels extremely overwhelming and I feel I can hear every single sound like it's all surrounding me and converging in on me, it makes me very upset which is why I tend to isolate a lot in those times. I also am very jumpy with sudden noises, even small ones. I have schizoaffective/bipolar type

[Wild Coyote]

Originally Posted by yellow_fleurs

Does anyone find that they have a lot of sensitivity to light, sound and touch to the point that it is very uncomfortable and makes you irritable and overwhelmed? I realized that this is maybe what is causing a lot of my irritability. I honestly cannot place what this is, I am not convinced this is related to bipolar disorder. I do not think I always had this problem, but do think I have had it for a long time. I realized sometimes when I have mini breakdowns it's because I was in an overstimulating place like an airport. I also think this is part of what got worse when taking Lexapro and what caused so much irritability. Makes me question if I have something other than bipolar disorder.

Hi I go through this, too. It gets worse when I am getting hypomanic/manic. I hope you'll find some relief.

[Unrigged64072835]

I do have light and tactile sensitivity. I used to have audio sensitivity but not as much anymore.

[GoldenSnitch]

Have you heard of the book the Highly Sensitive Person? It’s really good and describes a lot of what you’re going through. I’m the same way and my therapist recommended it. I get very overwhelmed by too much stimulation and it makes me very irritable.

[fern46]

I have trouble in crowds. They overwhelm me even when they are in control. In college I drank my way through crowded situations. Now I just avoid them altogether if possible.

[yellow_fleurs]

Thanks everyone! GoldenSnitch I am looking into the book. I went and took the self test from the book and answered true to all of the questions, so it seems like it would be something useful for me to look into. Thanks for the recommendation!