does anyone else with bp have this problem

[Alex_X_18]

I get distracted easily or sometimes even confused or disorented and I loose things or forget stuff....
Is this a symtom of bipolar??? It happens to me more frequently than your avrage person but sometimes when I'm manic or really busy it starts happening a lot

[Alex_X_18]

yeah basicly I had a project due that class or at least I though I did but apperntly I was so stressed out I got confused on the date

[Alex_X_18]

yeah I zone out quite frequently thats why I had a lot of questions while in school to my class teachers....
Also quite destractable really even when it comes to something like watching a movie or reading a good book I will have to watch or read it twice simply to get down the whole plot structure.....
I think a lot of you are right about not panicing tho whenever you start getting rushed or anxious it only makes the whole habbit of forgetting stuff ten times worse.
Last week I missed class cuz my mood was erratic I tried to send my teacher an email. about it once it was sent I decided to check my sent box 2 days later and realised that I had not yet mailed the letter I had only saved it to my drafts...Then once I mailed the letter I got a reply only to find out that the project was due next week....It was kindof embaressing

[lagatta]

I have one that tops it all in terms of zoning out.  Today I got a letter from someone that has been on LTD for the last 2 years.  The letter stated that they were retiring and I read returning.  I started making provisions for her return when my NEW boss corrected me.  She was actually quite nice about it.  She thought it was funny but of course I was horrified.  My last boss actually thought I was hilarious (rather than stupid) so hopefully my new boss will too.

[blacksoul004]

i have this same problem too. at times i cant even remember my name! ill forget simple words or loose my train of though in the middle of telling it. sometimes i even forget im haveing the conversation. lol XD my step dad yells at me all the time for it... i guess he thinks i do it purposely.

Heidi

[adel_ezz]

many times. lol
don't worry

[lindamoore]

Did you ever want to write/type a word and you couldn't remember what letter it starts with?  That has happened to me several times.  Also one time I looked at the clock (the moving hands type)  and I could not tell what time it was.  Sort of a scary moments.  

[adel_ezz]

the problem is that distractability is not only a symptom of bipolarity but OCD. You can't really draw the line between the two. Sometimes I pray twice forgetting that I already prayed, or going out my house and use a turnkey and forgot whether i closed it correctly or not so i open it to close it once more and this can happen many times. Or i would write a word file and try to be so accurate so i read it and reread it, etc... all these are perfectionism a sign of OCD and distractability a sign of BP so where to draw the lines is not trivial simply because both can happen in sequence or trigger one another.
don't be afraid from experiencing this. It happens to a lot of people more than you can imagine. Nothing to panick for. It's only when you have mania or depression that is alarming. All my crew of pdocs tell me OCD can morph into BP or that both gateways so they keep changing a speciality of this illness

[lindamoore]

Zoning out - I can relate to that.  I am a Christian and I (try to) pray every day.  The trouble is I forget that I am praying and my mind wanders all over the place. : - (
I don't know how to make it stop.  I guess I'm always just a little bit manic, which is where I prefer to be.  A little bit manic makes me more productive overall, but sometimes I find myself going in circles, not always staying on task.

[Alex_X_18]

for me I have noticed I just zone out a lot even if I am not manic....
although mainia does worsen the condition,...I guess making lists and setting reminders on my claendar and phone would help greatly as well as getting the proper amount of sleep

[irishwriter]

my pdoc is always trying to talk me out of anticipatory anxiety as panic sets in as soon as i have to face new situations or even have to leave the house for a job etc.

[RichReligion]

Yes, and if it's not it's very close. You need to let go of somethings don't think so hard...lol, I know, easier said than done, right? but, it'll only get worse if you don't succeed. Mines come from anticipating failure.

[lindamoore]

I too have problems forgetting things and loosing things.  I also have some other problems like adding and subtracting and multiplying numbers.  I think that bp meds hve a lot to do with memory problems  I have also had ECT (shock treatments) which stopped my bipolar symptoms cold but created additional memory problems.  When you get your meds regulated where they are working correctly you should have some relief from the problem

[paranoid_cataclysm]

I also thought I'd mention it can get so bad that you have several mood swings per day.

[paranoid_cataclysm]

Bipolar disorder can get so bad and confusing that you don't know whether you actually did something or just thought about it.  I still have a habit of checking things I did two or three times to see if I really did it or not.

[irishwriter]

i too have the 'forgetting words for things', impulse buying, i try to limit myself to one item when i go to town but it doesn't always work and i end up with things i def don't need. this only started (apart from the impulse buying!) when i went on different regime of meds so i blame it on them. my ability to read has also been effected, i used to read 6/7 books/week and now it could take a week or two to read one book, very frustrating! maybe talk to your pdoc about it and he/she might be able to help.

[Linda1962]

i have the same problem.  I sometimes get so distracted I forget to go to the bathroom!  Seriously!  :)  The distraction and the racing thoughts really get me down.  I have had 2 incidents of manic in the last 5 months.  All of that really drives me beyond crazy.

[lagatta]

The reason why women are more disoriented is because they have more going on on their minds.  While you're giving a woman directions to the washroom she's probably thinking about 10 other things while listening.   Most women work-full, do most of the domestic chores and child-rearing, are more involved in the finances, goal setting etc.  Men generally have less going on and don't multi-task the way women do.  

[adel_ezz]

what you describe is typical bipolarity. I am afraid you can symptomatize BP by the fact of distractability, confusion, forgetfulness, etc... But no harm done so long as you know instead of panicking.

What i do in this situation is that i say Ah! it's my BP now because at some other times you find yourself Ok

don't worry and don't refer everything to BP otherwise if you lose money you will say it's my BP if you don't pray regularly you will say it's my BP and so on... the important thing don't panick. I know people not BP and yet forget things very easily, are often distractable as well, etc... so bipolarity is not the end of the world there are much worse things. If you remember this you will get cured. Usually when i see someone in a worse situation than myself I say to myself: thanks GOD that you created me in a much better situation than this fellow. This will make you good
and hope you the best of luck
N.B: I forget to tell you that females are more disoriented than males this is true. For instance if someone tells a female while we sit in a room where is the coffee shop say usually a woman and this I found so many times, she will point to a wrong direction. Also they drive worse than men for instance (i am not against women pls, i am only stating a fact i witnessed often).
ezz

[Amyjo101]

Very common events in my Daughters life. It makes things Majorly difficult especially where school and such is concerned. When she is stable it is not quite as bad but some of it has to do with medications too....

[morningglory333]

i too get very frustrated with confusion and forgetfulness....heck ive already threw my wedding rings in the trash without realizing i did it....thank god the trash didn't go yet lol and i found them....my husband tells me i have to focus and he is right i have to be more careful about my actions and stop and think i literally have to talk to myself as i am doing it to reassure myself...this is absoutely normal when you are bipolar

[prayersfor_rain]

I've always been very forgetful and "scatterbrained".  I forget what I'm doing, forget what i'm saying, forget that I'm holding something that I go to look for, I've even forgotten my own birthday.

Mom always told me it was because I'm thinking too fast and too much ;)

Post its and to-do lists have saved me!  And I still don't have a good hold of things all of the time, haha.

[lagatta]

I'm fortunate to have a husband that remembers everything.  I'll call out to him - where did I put my purse and he'll tell me exactly where it is.   Unfortunately, he doesn't come to work with me - I could really use him there!  

[Alex_X_18]

thanks so much for all the replies.....
its really great to know that I'm not alone in this
I try really hard to hide it from other people
(kindof an embaressing secret really
I forget stuff pretty often but I wasn't sure if it was bipolar or not
I was diagnosed with ADD as a kid and had some pretty common signs for it
so it just got me woundering why am I so forgetful?
I think it was taking its toll on my last relationship as well

[xany9011]

I forget things all the time. I get up to get something and forget what I got up for. I have spent a bunch of money when I don't have it to spend. I lose things all the time and then try and blame it on my husband! It's crazy I know, but I think it's all a part of bipolar mania. I have racing thoughts a lot. I'm at the beginning of my diagnosis, so I'm just starting to be medicated, but I've experienced it a lot. I even write my psychiatrist appointments on the calendar and then still miss them because I forget to look at the calendar that morning!