How to Deal with Mental Fog/Inability to Focus

[lagatta]

Hi There,

I've been recently diagnosed with Bipolar II and finally have an answer for a lifetime of inconsistency.  I have an inability to focus and seem to have a mental fog that prevents me from thinking clearly.  Then on it's own it clears up and I'm back on again and able to get things done.  This affects my ability to consistently perform well at work.  Teachers and employers have commented on my lack of consistency.  Has anyone else been affected by this problem?  If so, how have you dealt wih it?

Lagatta!

[irishwriter]

lol. you brightened my day. it is great to have people to talk to online as there is nobody here that has any clue about the condition. i told pdoc yesterday that if anyone asked about dressing on my arm i would tell them it was a cough! a symptom of depression like a cough to a cold not something horrific even if it is a bit weird! hope you all have a good week.

[daledude]

I must still be hypo because I feel like the guy in Wayne's World that says: I really love you guys man. And just because I'm hypo doesn't mean that I don't love you guys. (he didn't say that last part) :)

Honestly though, it is great to be here amongst all of you all as Internet friends. Because of this BP, outside of my wife, I only have 3 other friends, and I very rarely talk with or spend time with any of them. I see one of them (my wife's ex-husband believe it or not) for a few days maybe 2-3 times a year. I have one sister that I haven't talked with in probably 6 months or more. So I am truly grateful to be here with you all.

Like some of you, when I'm depressed, I'm, seemingly at least, only a short walk away from death in terms of energy. At those times I'm not even interested in trying to focus, I'm just dragging myself from place to place as best I can, doing whatever I have the energy for, which isn't much. However, I find that I am thankful for my chores of doing my small business, especially the ones that take me away from the computer and down into my garage for a while. I don't look forward to doing the work, and sometimes when I'm really bad I can't make myself do it, but when I can do it, it seems to do something good for me though I'm not sure exactly what it is except that I do feel a little better for it and end up feeling grateful that I had that work to do. I do feel like it has something to do with having at least that little structure to hang onto so to speak.

During this current/past hypomanic phase, I became so anxious that I had an extremely hard time doing things that I've done every day for years. I had a thought that I was forgetting something, and that thought was just racing around in my head, and no matter what I did to assure myself that I wasn't forgetting something, the racing thought wouldn't go away. It was actually physically painful and I ended up with a really bad headache. And the fact that that thought was racing around in my head, DID cause me to forget things, which compounded things. I had never had anything like that anxiety in terms of it's intensity. It was just horrible and left me extremely handicapped with my ability to focus and concentrate on anything.

[alzandra]

Humour helps me alot.  I don't care so much what others think.   I will exaggerate and twist it so that it's funny to me and my friends.

Besides, the best humour has a little truth in it.  He he.

[LexiFaye]

I have to say that was my biggest fear when I first found out about my bipolar was that people will think I'm like my brother, who is completely un-medicated and a bit scary at times. I just went back to work after take a leave of absence, and I was wondering what I would say if they asked what happened, and surprisingly when I told them honestly, they all seemed very supportative. Telling me I looked better, and if I ever needed to talk they were there.

My whole point of this story, is yeah I'm sure there are people out there who refuse to understand what happened, but the people that count are there for me. If people choose not to have support, that is no big deal for me, because I have surrounded myself with people that do. Especially at work.

[LeftCoastChick]

Hahahah Alz - that just gave me such a giggle.  I wonder if adopting an evil twinkle will work in my favor?  (being facetious)

Sounds like you are getting on the right track Lagetta - rountine, the word I love to hate, but darn it it does work :)

[alzandra]

Oh it is not so easy to disclose!  Yes, there are many ppl who do judge.  I find that for the most part, ppl are afraid of what I might do.  I figured that when I told the teachers that I had this illness, maybe they would feel bad for him and watch out for him a little more.  I didn't care about what they might think because there was something larger at stake than that; my son's life.  And that is all the motivation I need to keep going.

I am on Effexor XR and lithium, as well as a sleeping pill as needed.  I have had therapy as well.  But these things did not help me with my routine.  It was the ppl closest to me.  Especially the children; my 13 year old who depends on me, and my neices and nephew.

I would like to end on a humorous note:

While talking to my son's science/math teacher during interviews, I disclosed that I had BP.   My son replied:  "Ya, you better watch out, she might jump across this table and eat your hand!"

[bernie40]

I am trying to build routine into my life, as many of the others have said, it is a key component in managing BP.  I'm hoping that once the lithium kicks in properly I shall be more stable and then more able to stick to routines.  Its difficult to keep to a routine when your moods are all over the place.

[irishwriter]

like monkeyc, right now nothing is working for me. am in complete withdrawal mode. being inconsistent is such a hugh part of bp, right now though even the smallest task is like climbing a mountain. am trying not to give myself a hard time over not finishing things.

[monkeyc]

When i started Lithium it helped to stabilise my moods and my concentration was much better.

Right now nothing is working

[lagatta]

Thanks everyone for your replies.  Alzandra, it's wonderful that you can be so open with people about your condition. Did you find people judged you or were they all supportive.  I'm afraid that if I'm open about my condition that people will look down on me.  I think there's a lot of stigma with mental illness.  Monkey, you say that meds helped.  What are you on?  So far I'm on lamictal 150 mg and seroquel 25 mg (for sleep).  The seroquel helped with sleep at first but it seems to have lost it's effect.  The lamictal has helped with depression but seems to make me more forgetful and scattered.  Thanks for the suggestion about routine.  I'm bad at it.  I'm either an all or nothing person and perhaps this needs to change.  

[mainemd]

Seroquel is one of the go to drugs for insomnia. The reason it isn't helping  is you need more than 25 mg. I used to start treating my patients with 50 mg. Have you asked your doctor about the effects of using an antipsychotic for sleep. I stopped using it. I just don't like using a class of drug that has so many side effects for sleep when there are so many safer drugs.

[monkeyc]

I run a tight routine and plan and organise but sometimes its not enough

I don not have an answer to why and right now Id love one.

[alzandra]

I am inconsistently inconsistent.  I didn't realize it was an effect of BP.  Thank you for posting your question.  Maybe now that I know it isn't a personal character flaw, I may be better able to focus on how to manage it.

Sometimes my inconsistency is due to forgetfulness.  Sometimes, I thought it was due to laziness or the sometimes overwhelming burden of being a single mother (father has not been in contact since conception).

Routine definitely helps.  I like it when my son is consistent because I can gauge my behaviour to his routines.   I have also let my son's teachers know from the get-go that I have BP, and I let them know how they can help me be consistent with him.

My bff also helps me to keep consistent.  She and her hubby rely on my for things they know I can manage easily which keeps me healthier.  Babysitting, regular afternoon coffee, grocery shopping, outings, etc keep me from laying around all the time.

Basically, I have worked hard to make a support system that works for me, and I try really hard to focus on routine.  Many ppl in my support system know how to help me keep my routine while allowing for changes in energy levels and emotions.  They don't allow me to veer too far off course and are quick to pull me back in line.  That is the single biggest factor as to why I can get anything done, and why I haven't ended up in the psych ward thus far.  (I consider myself extremely lucky in this regard!)

[LexiFaye]

I have to say that as a newly diagnosed BP person, meds help, but what has created consistency for me in work and school is a routine! I do believe it is something that is vital to anyone with a condition as such. I try really hard not to stray to hard from it. But holidays always put a wrench in it and I notice myself going a little off because of it. Maybe try to figure out a daily routine??

[Bear13]

definitely a symptom.... it is treatable, but you also need to sort of "push" yourself to focus... i find I get foggy, and have to force myself to refocus... it's a painl, but it is something that can be overcome.....  

[bernie40]

Yes absolutely.  So far meds have made no difference for me though :-(  

Inconsistency is my middle name!

[LeftCoastChick]

Yes to all three, meds can help, as well you need to your patterns. It takes a while for those things to smooth out, I've been off work since July with various symptoms. It could be the depression aspect. It can be over come :)

[adel_ezz]

yes this is one of the main symptoms of BP.

[monkeyc]

Yes I have, medication and therapy for me worked.

This is a symptom and it can be treated.