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Key Takeaways
- Bipolar disorder changes how a person thinks, not just how they feel.
- In a manic phase, thoughts speed up and can feel huge and unstoppable.
- In a depressive phase, thoughts slow down and turn dark and heavy.
- The same event can feel great one week and awful the next.
- It is a real brain condition, and it can be treated.
Most people know that bipolar disorder is related to mood swings. That’s true, but only half the story. What isn’t noticed so much is what happens to a person’s thinking.
During times of depression or mania, there are not only feelings of difference, but the brain itself acts differently. It works differently. Thoughts speed up or slow down. Some days can be sunny, other days can be bleak; it all depends on the week. What follows is how a person with bipolar thinks, in both the up and the down. The idea is to allow it to be a bit more comprehensible from the outside.
Nashville Mental Health
The Bipolar Brain: How Thought Patterns Differ From Baseline Cognition
There is a setting that everyone has, where their thinking is normal. A usual speed. A usual volume. But bipolar disorder will yank that setting up or down, and the individual can not simply switch it back. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, symptoms of a mood episode occur most of the day, nearly every day and are different from the way the person is normally. This is no state to shake off, then. It is the entire system operating at a different setting, and it shapes how a person with bipolar thinks all day long.
The two phases are competing for thinking.
| Thinking in a high | Thinking in a low |
| Fast and loud | Slow and heavy |
| When you have too many ideas at once | One dark thought played over and over again |
| Feels powerful | Feels worthless |
| Wants no sleep | Wants to sleep all day |
The Speed and Volume of Mental Processing During Manic States
Brain acceleration is occurring during mania. A lot. Thoughts flash by, in rapid succession; it’s difficult to keep just one thought. The concept seems dynamic and vibrant. Everything seems possible. Sleep is starting to seem like an unproductive use of time – after all, why sleep when your mind is racing this quickly? At first, it can be quite incredible. This is one of the reasons why it can be so hard to deal with.
There are a few obvious clues that the mind can give off in a high.
- Thoughts come at a quick speed and it’s difficult to catch up.
- These ideas seem so big, so exciting, and so achievable.
- Getting sleep seems to be useless.
- Extremely rapid speech and topic jumps.
Manic Episodes and Grandiose Thinking: When Confidence Becomes Distorted
Grandiose thinking is one of the main components of mania. That is, the person feels much more powerful or special than at other times. Not just confident. That is, more like they can do anything, or that the usual rules don’t apply to them. The new business concept seems like a surefire success. A risky plan feels like a safe plan. The issue is, this feeling is not reality, and that disconnect inflicts plenty of harm.
How Inflated Self-Perception Shapes Decision-Making
Anytime you feel like you can’t lose, you will start making decisions that you wouldn’t normally make. Others’ warnings don’t sound like warnings. Money feels endless. They may abandon a wonderful job on a whim, or hand something significant over to someone they don’t know because their brain tells them it will be all right.
The Consequences of Impulsive Decision Making During High Periods
What happens at a high can very well follow a person way past the high. One of the common characteristics of mania is impulsive decision-making, and poor decisions can be costly in more ways than one. These are some things that happen frequently.
- Major purchases that quickly deplete an account.
- Suddenly giving up work or a relationship.
- Starting something big and running out of steam halfway through.
Flight of Ideas: When Thoughts Move Faster Than Speech
Occasionally, the ideas are flying around too fast for the words. This is referred to as “flight of ideas” by doctors. When one person talks about one thing and then another topic, it is natural to them and it is not easily followed by an outsider.
The Depressive Episode Mindset: Cognitive Patterns in Crushing Lows
During a depressive episode, it comes to a standstill. Thinking is like going through mud. Simple decisions, such as food and drink, seem like too big a choice. Even when nothing bad is going on, the person feels worthless, tired, and hopeless. According to the MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine, during a depressive episode, one might be sad or hopeless, with low levels of activity and may be unable to function. It is not a lack of effort. The brake has been applied with both hands.
In a low, the signs look almost like the opposite.
- Memory and concentration seem impaired.
- Even the smallest decisions seem like huge, important decisions.
- The same hopeless thoughts, again and again.
- Resting is exhausting, as is everything else.
How Negative Thought Loops Reinforce Emotional Instability
Depression loves to strike again. The thoughts end up spiraling into a vicious cycle. I am a failure. I disappointed them all! Things will never be the same. The individual has thoughts that hurt over and over; the more they repeat the thoughts, the more intense the hurt. This is not a rough day, as a normal bad mood doesn’t normally get you trapped. The instability is fuelled by the loop, and the loop is fuelled by the instability.
Bipolar Mood Swings and Reality Perception: The Internal Disconnect
This is one of the odd things that families struggle with. With bipolar mood swings, the emotions experienced are not always aligned with the experience. Sometimes a person has a great day on paper, but still feels empty. But nothing’s different and all of a sudden they feel on top of the world. That’s because the mood comes from the brain, not from the events, and the gap can be difficult to communicate to a person unfamiliar with the sensation.
Nashville Mental Health
Why External Events Don’t Always Match Internal Emotional Responses
Most people believe there’s a cause for a mood. Enjoyment and joy. Bad news, bad feeling. Bipolar disorder breaks that link. The mood may present, without reason, and the brain seeks a rationale to account for it. Thus, an individual may attribute his/her emotions to his or her partner or job, when the actual cause is the episode itself. This is why the same situation can elicit two utterly different reactions in different weeks.
Racing Thoughts Versus Productive Thinking: Understanding the Difference
There’s a tendency for people to mistake racing thoughts for thinking they are busy or creative. It is not the same. Productive thinking leads somewhere. Accompanying racing thoughts is primarily spinning.
| Productive thinking | Racing thoughts |
| Moves toward a goal | Jumps around with no finish |
| Feels focused | Feels out of control |
| You can pause it | It will not slow down |
| Leaves you clearer | Leaves you drained |
Getting Professional Support at Nashville Mental Health
Any one of them could be you, or somebody you know, and that should make a difference. The good news is simple. Treatment for bipolar disorder is available, and treatment helps patients find stability.
Once you understand how a person with bipolar thinks, the behavior stops looking random and starts making sense. We at Nashville Mental Health are here to educate and provide a roadmap for our patients and guide them on the path that best fits their lives, without passing judgment. Call or text 988 anytime to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline if you or a loved one is thinking about suicide.
There is no need to handle your own mind all alone. Contact Nashville Mental Health and we will take the next step with you!
Nashville Mental Health
FAQs
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Can racing thoughts during manic episodes lead to poor financial or relationship decisions?
Yes, very often. When thoughts race and everything feels possible, spending, quitting jobs, and risky choices can all seem like good ideas in the moment. The regret usually shows up later, once the episode passes.
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Why does bipolar mood swings create such different emotional responses to identical situations?
Because the mood is coming from the brain, not from the event itself. During a high, a normal day can feel amazing, and during a low, that same day can feel pointless.
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How do negative thought loops during depressive episodes differ from typical sadness or stress?
Normal sadness has a reason and it fades as things get better. A depressive loop can show up with no clear cause and get stuck, repeating the same dark thoughts over and over. It also lasts longer and is much harder to break out of than an ordinary bad mood.
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Does grandiose thinking during high periods affect how someone perceives their own abilities?
It does, and in a big way. Grandiose thinking makes a person believe they are far more capable or important than they really are at that moment. That is why they may take on huge plans or ignore real risks, because they truly feel like they cannot fail.
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What causes emotional instability when external circumstances seem perfectly normal or positive?
In bipolar disorder, moods can rise or drop on their own, without anything happening to trigger them. The brain’s chemistry and activity shift, and the feeling follows, even when life looks fine.
References
- Bipolar Disorder, National Institute of Mental Health.
- Bipolar Disorder, MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine.
