Do obsessive thoughts or actions follow with clinical depression or bi-polar disorder?

obssessing and compulsing are actually two different things.

obssesing is being unable to stop thinking about thinking about whatever.

complusing is that actual disease part – you do something compulsively over and over to help you relieve the anxiety component of your obsession.

Everyone obsesses. That’s not a disease. If you compulse to the point of disruption in your ability to funciton in day-to-day life, that’s the disease known as OCD.

I tend to obsess over situations when I’m depressed, but I don’t really want to. It’s very distressing. Sometimes I try to tell myself not to give the situation the power to hurt me, and sometimes I just give in. Don’t sleep much, either.

For me, it is a symptom of depression. A situational depression. If it’s a depression for no reason at all, the only obsessive thinking is about how to get this unreasonable depression to lift. Far too often it seems like it’s impossible to get rid of it in any reasonable way. Which leaves the very unfortunate unreasonable way. I absolutely hate having that obsession.

I really doesn’t do any good over-pathologize everything. Sometimes when you are sad and upset you have a lot to think about. Sometimes someone might be able to tag you with a diagnosis. That’s nice if you are insurance company. If you are a human, a diagnosis don’t mean sheeit. Everything is indeterminate, on a continuum, contingent on other stuff, complicated by the environment, and in constant flux.

Depression and anxiety disorders sometimes do go hand in hand, but not always. If your obsessive thoughts center on an actual situation, and go away when the situation does, it’s probably pretty normal.

Obsessive thoughts can definitely be a product of a bipolar mania episode.

The words you are using are words the medical profession has invented to describe various medical conditions. For a definitive diagnosis, you must consult your doctor, or ask for a referral to a specialist.

It is never a good idea for any of us to try to self-diagnose, because we don’t have the expertise that a medical professional has.

Hmm.. I got told I could be bipolar today and yesterday by a therapist and a nurse.

Anyway, I don’t know and I’m not sure but for me YES I DO obsess over things… Like my art….

Maybe the manic makes it worse because I can stay up all night for hours on end trying to finish a painting or story…..

Ask a psychiatrist.