I relate to everything the other two have said. I have found that my meds have helped a lot though as my obsessiveness is only apparent when I am at either one of the extreme ends of the mood spectrum. When I am stable they seem to disappear. When I start to get obsessive this is usually a sign that I am about to go up or down. So for me it is an indicator.
I think most people with BP are obsessive/compulsive. For me when I get depressed I get very negative thoughts that keep repeating themselves. I can't seem to stop them from whirling in my head. Meds are helping with this.
I'm also compulsive about things I do. I can be an absolute perfectionist.. I try to catch myself when I do this and then back down. I tell myself that's it o.k. not be perfect and to just do an 80% job. It's hard though.. There can also be a lack of moderation. i.e – if I’m eating chips I have to finish the bag. If I’m on a fitness kick then I often overdo it. I’m working really hard at moderating my behaviour and again since I’ve been on meds and have more of a routine things have been a lot better.
Meds help. It is a huge part of BP. I obsess over things like, what people say to me, my friends, family, complete strangers and how they treat me, men I like, what I eat is a huge one just to name a few. Obsessing for me is very self destructive. I will say something one minute, obsess about it until it all becomes very distorted and I will feel completely different, and it's usually not good. I am also trying to figure this one out. I am very affected by it. It's one of the things that really effects my day to day life. I have lost friends over it. My boyfriend is confused a lot by the things I say because I always contradict myself. It's a tough one. My medications help but it has become an obsession in itself LOL. It's funny to even say that but it's true. I have a psychologist who I talk to but it still hasn't helped.