[LoneRose]

I am a bit confused after watching videos about bipolar type 2 on youtube. They all seem to have racing thoughts, like really really racing like mad. So fast they can even feel sick from it.. My brother is bipolar 2 and i might be too but we dont have racing thoughts like that. We do get periods of constant thinking/worrying, where we can be awake the whole night with thoughts constantly being repeated again and again. Its very frustrating and drives me mad!

Do you all have racing thoughts that you can´t keep track of?

[Thomi]

Originally Posted by LoneRose

I am a bit confused after watching videos about bipolar type 2 on youtube. They all seem to have racing thoughts, like really really racing like mad. So fast they can even feel sick from it.. My brother is bipolar 2 and i might be too but we dont have racing thoughts like that. We do get periods of constant thinking/worrying, where we can be awake the whole night with thoughts constantly being repeated again and again. Its very frustrating and drives me mad!

Do you all have racing thoughts that you can´t keep track of?

I have been diagnosed Bipolar II and there are times where my mind races. Mostly is causes me to be diorganized in speech and unable to really keep track of what is going on. It's very uncomfortable and I get pretty irritable when it happens.

[Schatje]

I'm bipolar II and I've had the really racing thoughts that I like to describe as someone letting a super bouncy ball loose inside my skull. I've also had the constant thinking/worrying up all night kind of thoughts too. To me they really seem to be linked and are almost the same thing or same type of thing, but at different levels of severity.

[LoneRose]

Thanks for your response.

I think i am panicking a bit about maybe being bipolar and am trying to convince myself that what i go through is completely different to everybody else...

[Schatje]

Bipolar is not a death sentence and will not change who you already are. Rather it will give you nothing more than a name for what you are going through and allow you to move forward to receive treatment. It is something that we have to deal with and the sooner you start to deal with it the better you will feel. Bipolar can challenging, but it also can be managed. Besides you are in good company. There are a lot of people in our history and present that have made huge contributions to our world that were also bipolar.

[mlpHolmes]

No, when you have a disorder, in your case Bipolar Depression you do not have to have every single charateristic. I have Bipolar Depression also, and I don't have the racing thoughts. And I have some of the other symptoms in varying degrees. This also would apply to you & your brother.
The same with BPD, Borderline Personality Disorder, there are 9 characteristics - not that a person MUST have every single one - no, and not to the ultra maximum 100% degree, rather ppl have various degrees of the disorder. It's general knowlege for the public. The best idea is to see a therapist and /or pdoc for a diagnosis and they can suggest the best help for you. I hope this relieves your mind somewhat.

Holmes

[LoneRose]

Thanks Holmes.

Thats what i thought anyway, but after seeing my psychiatrist about it he just made me feel so stupid. He has no idea or it sounds like he doesn´t about the different degrees of bipolar. He contradicted everything i have read on the subject, actually everything that made me feel so "home" and gave me hope for help.
Told me i would loose weight when depressed not binge eat and put on weight like i do.. That it was wrong that i feel so tired and can sleep all the time. That it was impossible to still love my son when feeling down.. That it was impossible to sometimes know triggers to my mood changes.. That i would constantly have racing thoughts and not constant thoughts that gets repeated again and again and keeping me up at night when i am down or worried.. And that it was impossible to change mood so frequently as i do.

I just felt so stupid after that conversation. I went home and found sooo much on the internet and sent it to him in a mail. I wanted him to see that i wasn´t stupid and show him why i felt like this was definately a possibility.
He responded and said he could now see why i was worried bipolar might be an issue and asked me what medication my brother is on..
Now i don´t know what is going to happen, does he see it too now or does he just think i am silly?
I think it is quite sad that he only knows about bipolar 1 and that i had to send him info on the subject.

Well.. i am interested in seeing what will happen on tuesday when we are meeting up..

[bexter]

I'm bipolar and don't fit neatly into any categories except, I suppose, "bipolar spectrum" where there are no rules! I do not get the deep depression, not have I had a definite manic episode (as far as I know). I have experienced hypomania and dysthymia regularly for years. My chief symptom (problem) is that I very impulsively respond to uncomfortable feelings by binge-drinking, which has caused a world of hurt.

The jury is still out on whether I benefit from the medication I am taking. It seems to have moved me away from the hypomania. If I could go to a therapy session every damned day I might be OK, but that's not realistic.