does anyone suffer agitation

[lincsfem]

Hi my first time on this site ..does anyone else suffer with aggitated thoughts ..eg ... going to flip for no reason , wanting to hurt ppl for no reason ... if so how doo you manage your thoughts plz if anyone can help ..i do take meds to help ...i have been diagnosed with bipolar and personality disorder

[hedgecrone]

Hi, Lincsfem, I do get agitated thoughts, linked to my anxiety and depression. I go through phases of it. I get very irritable with my husband and find I lose my rag easily and then feel so guilty about it, because I sometimes behave like a two year old throwing a tantrum I hate myself for it.

What personality disorder have you been diagnosed with, and who diagnosed you? I am being assessed at the moment and hoping that if I fit the criteria, I will be offered a newish therapy called Mentalisation-Based Therapy which helps people with Borderline personality disorder. I still have more assessments to go, but so far they think I fit the Borderline characteristics - just about - though I have some issues that are part of other disorders too.

Have you been offered any therapy? I think it's important that you push for it, because you can't struggle on alone. Do you live with a family or partner and if so, are they supportive and do they understand?

One of the things you need to do though is to accept that you have these thoughts, but they are not your fault. Don't try and fight them or run away from them. Just try and adopt an attitude of....'Oh ok, I notice I am having these thoughts again... thoughts about... (whatever it is)....and it's making me feel anxious/angry/whatever (and then notice whereabouts in your body you feel it worst. For instance is it a horrible knot in your stomach, an ache in your chest or head? Somewhere else? Just stay with the feelings, with your eyes gently closed.) Ok, all that might sound a bit mad, but it's part of a technique called Mindfulness which can help anxiety and depression if you practise mindfulness meditation regularly. All it is really is sitting, or lying comfortably in a quiet place with your eyes gently closed, and just noticing your breathing, without forcing it to be different from how it is. Just follow it, all the way in and all the way out.

If your mind wanders off, that's ok - that's what minds do. Just gently bring your mind back to noticing your breathing. And that's it.

Do it first of all for a few minutes at a time. Gradually build it up till you can sit or lie quietly for 10-20 mins at a time. You can get loads of good cds which can 'guide' you through these meditations, and they are very calming and grounding. But you need to find the right ones for you. Look on Amazon for starters, and I recommend a book by Mark Williams and Danny Penman about mindfulness - it has a CD in the back and it's excellent.

Good luck - keep posting, and let us know how you are. x