"Frequent racing thoughts may be related to anxiety disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), trauma, or other mental health issues that need exploring," says Fabrett.
Antipsychotics are commonly prescribed to help with symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, or racing thoughts, but can also be prescribed for individuals without those symptoms. Some antipsychotics are considered mood stabilizers because they, too, even out the highs and lows.
While overthinking itself is not a mental illness, it is associated with conditions including depression, anxiety, eating disorders and substance use disorders. Rumination can be common in people who have chronic pain and chronic illness as well, taking the form of negative thoughts about that pain and healing from it.
Stress. Stress is one of the “usual suspects” when you can't seem to stop thinking. Stress causes your body to release cortisol, and cortisol helps you stay alert. This means that your brain stays alert, too — even when you don't want it to.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common, chronic, and long-lasting disorder in which a person has uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts ("obsessions") and/or behaviors ("compulsions") that he or she feels the urge to repeat over and over.
Benzodiazepines are a type of sedative medication. This means they slow down the body and brain's functions. They can be used to help with anxiety and insomnia (difficult getting to sleep or staying asleep).
Racing thoughts and flight of ideas can occur with conditions other than bipolar disorder, including major depression and anxiety disorders. Certain drugs can also cause racing thoughts, such as methamphetamine and cocaine. Withdrawal from these drugs as well as opiates and heroin can also cause racing thoughts.
The conditions most commonly linked to racing thoughts are bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, sleep deprivation, amphetamine dependence, and hyperthyroidism.
Considerations. Hyperactive behavior usually refers to constant activity, being easily distracted, impulsiveness, inability to concentrate, aggressiveness, and similar behaviors.
Get up and get moving — exercise is a natural way to break the cycle because it releases endorphins which relieve tension and stress, boost energy, and enhance your sense of well-being. You can also distract yourself by doing something completely unrelated and different that forces you to focus on something else.
You may be having a panic attack
So why can't you calm down, even after an initial fight-or-flight response? If symptoms of anxiety disorders continue and manifest into physical symptoms, you may be having a panic attack. Symptoms of a panic attack include: Sweating.
Racing thoughts in ADHD can be a mental manifestation of restlessness, a result of your brain's unique self-regulation processes. While sometimes confused with racing thoughts in bipolar disorder, an ADHD active mind may last for an hour, a day, or a couple of days.
Racing thoughts – fast, repetitive thought patterns about a particular topic – are a common feature of anxiety and other mental health disorders. They can also happen any time you are in an anxious or stressed state, even if you are not experiencing other symptoms of a mental health disorder.
Antidepressants: Certain antidepressants can be effective in treating anxiety and racing thoughts. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are commonly used. Antihistamines: Some over-the-counter antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl®), can have a sedating effect and may be used to help with sleep.
In addition, medications originally designed for depression, the SSRIs (Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Lexapro, Effexor, Cymbalta, and others), are also capable of lowering the underlying level of anxiety which takes a lot of steam out of this phenomenon.
Overthinking is not a recognized mental disorder by itself. But research has found that it's often a symptom of other mental health conditions, including: Depression. Anxiety disorders.
Overthinking is caused due to various reasons like fear, intolerance to uncertainty, trauma, or perfectionism. Overthinking can also be a symptom of already existing mental health conditions such as generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, or depression.
Intrusive thoughts are often triggered by stress or anxiety. They may also be a short-term problem brought on by biological factors, such as hormone shifts. For example, a woman might experience an uptick in intrusive thoughts after the birth of a child.