Could this be bipolar?

Hi I am just after some advice. When going to sleep recently my mind has kept jumping from one thought to the next - I have done some research on this and obviously when you type in 'racing thoughts' one of the results is bipolar. I do not get them in the day so much, although I do feel on edge somewhat, this is in turn does make me feel down because I am always worrying. I have visited a doctor who stated that I have GAD. I guess im jut asking for your opinions also? I have taken many onlie bipolar screening tests which have come back as not showing symptoms.

[monkeyc]

Racing thoughts are not really jumping from one thought to another - its s whirlwind of noise in your head and often the thoughts are fragmented, when it gets bad you can close your eyes and see lights flickering.

Bipolar has a defined set of symptoms and from DSM IV its own set of diagnostic criteria :

According to the DSM-IV-TR, a diagnosis of Bipolar I disorder requires one or more manic or mixed episodes. The criteria for Bipolar I (Bipolar Type 1, BP 1, or BPD 1) are defined in the DSM-IV-TR. The current or previous course of the illness may include hypomanic and depressive episodes also, but the diagnosis of BP I requires only one manic or mixed episode. A depressive episode is not required for a diagnosis of BP I disorder, although the overwhelming majority of people with BP I suffer from them as well.

Bipolar II, the more common but by no means less severe type of the disorder, is characterized by episodes of hypomania and disabling depression. A diagnosis of bipolar II disorder requires at least one hypomanic episode. This is used mainly to differentiate it from unipolar depression. Although a patient may be depressed, it is very important to find out from the patient or patient's family or friends if hypomania has ever been present using careful questioning. This, again, avoids the antidepressant problem.

A diagnosis of cyclothymic disorder requires the presence of numerous hypomanic episodes, intermingled with depressive episodes that do not meet full criteria for major depressive episodes. The main idea here is that there is a low grade cycling of mood which appears to the observer as a personality trait, but does not interfere with functioning.

If an individual clearly seems to be suffering from some type of bipolar disorder but does not meet the criteria for one of the conditions laid out above, he or she receives a diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder NOS (Not Otherwise Specified).

Feeling on edge is possibly a bipolar symptom - irritability can feature in both phases but if you have never had a manic episode then GAD would make more sense as a diagnosis.

For my world one of the worst things around is attempting to self diagnose via the internet - it can be very dangerous when coupled with bad doctors who will prescribe what a patient asks for and the drugs used for bipolar are not joke (not that im suggesting you are doing this of course)

Your doctor can diagnose, no one here should try, if thats what you're looking for then sorry.

[heyjude1]

I have been dx with Bipolar and my thoughts are going from one thing to another.  I also have tendencies to be the "O" in OCD, if I become upset over something that has happened, I cannot get the thought out of my head. I cannot focus on anything and stay awake at night thinking, seeing, remembering the event over and over I see it in my mind.  I cannot stop the thought.  I can continue for days.  I try to distract myself only to find myself back to the obsessive thought again....it is like a squirrel running in a squirrel cage. Is this perhaps what you are experiencing?

[lindeelou]

Before I got on the right meds, I used to have the racing thoughts, especially at bedtime.
Noise in my head, and my thoughts kept me from sleeping. Typically the thoughts were about horrible things. I go over and over about my father dying, my dog getting hit by a car while I watched, and I couldn't make these morbid thoughts stop. I listened to relaxation tapes, and tried to make my mind go to a "happy place", like walking on the beach, only to have that happy thought turn into me being drown of washed out to see in a rip tide...
I hated this, but with meds, especially when I was on Ambien, my sleep changed.
Changing doctors, and being on a high dose of Clonazepam ( 5 1mg tabs each day), the GP took me off the Ambien saying it was "too much" and put me on Trazedone which made me groggy, stuffed up nose and feeling sluggish the next day. I lost health insurance so could not visit the PDoc, this is standard for people that go to the health department, they tend to not be very knowledgeable about treatments for BP.
I am supposed to start Abilify and the doctor said this should help with sleep, which I didn't realize. Hope it works.

[HoneyNut]

Did you see a Psychiatrist for your evaluation, or a General Practitioner?  Like MonkeyC listed, you need more than just "racing thoughts" to qualify for Bipolar.  If you are concerned you might be Bipolar, try researching Cyclothymia.  Cyclothymia is a less severe form of Bipolar, and one of the symptoms for it is racing thoughts.  But when in doubt talk to a Psychiatrist, they are more qualified to diagnose and treat mental disorders.

Best of luck,

HoᴖeyNᴗt

[lindeelou]

Oh, my therapist and Psychiatrist both diagnosed me. No, racing thoughts weren't my only issues. I had all the symptoms. Compulsive spending, self-medicating my whole life, promiscuity, serious depression, suicide attempts, nights without sleep while scrubbing the kitchen floor... yes, I am BP.
They did say I didn't fit into the BPI or BPII profile, but we all don't fit in a box.