Bipolar Type II Support Group

Does anyone else have issues with crowds or loud talking in restaurants/stores/etc.? It only happens to me when I'm in a mania, but it can get pretty scary. I start to zone out somewhat and all I can hear are all of the other conversations going on around me - it's not like I can understand them, but it seems as if everyone is yelling and my brain can't take it.

My husband and I were at a restaurant tonight and that is exactly what happened. We just so happened to be at a table that was in the middle of the room, and wait staff were at tables that were surrounding us, so there was a lot of talking. My poor husband was trying to get me to focus on him and not the other stuff and even though I tried my hardest to quit listening to the voices they kept breaking through.

I guess my question is if anyone else has this issue, how do you deal with it? I just stared blankly ahead and kept taking deep breaths. The voices literally made my head feel like it was spinning.

I had this problem all the time before I got on my medications. I still have issues when I am under extra stress, but in general when I am stable on my meds I am able to deal with noice/crowds, etc. My husband has had to talk me through these times.

I start having an anxiety attack when I'm in a crowd. I work for Walmart on the 3rd shift and the store is open 24 hours so there are still a lot of people there when I show up for work. It's absolute hell this time of year. I have an anti-anxiety med that I take.

i have a lot of anxiety in crowded places. like concerts or busy stores. sometimes even at church i feel very uncomfortable if it is packed.

It attacks me at random moments, manic or not. I know what you're talking about though. It's hard for me to ride the metro, it's hard for me to go to Target and wait in line. Being medicated has taken a bit of the edge off. My boyfriend is aware of my discomfort with crowds. He's an avid concert-goer, and there are so many times I've had to say no because of my fear of crowds. First, he took me to an open mic night and a local coffeehouse. After a few of those, he took me to a local club. It wasn't too crowded. Finally, we went to one of those stadium type concerts. He knew I was still edgy about being in public, so we got there late to avoid the massive rush and we left early to avoid the mass exodus from the arena. I've been giving it my best to ease into it, but I know what you're saying.

Trust me, when it's bad, I start to shake a bit and I grind my teeth, and all I want to do is stand up and tell everyone to shut the fuck up, but with the right meds and right breathing techniques, it gets better.

my heart palpitates and i feel like i'm going to pass out.

I get like that a lot. I get overstimulated. It's not just in restaurants or crowds. It's anywhere that there's too much noise at once. I can't even handle having the tv on and have my boyfriend playing the guitar. Or have more than on person talking at the same time. I tend to zone out. It's something I've just disclosed to my therapist, so we are going to talk more about that next week. I know for me it's an overstimulation problem. Where it stems from, who knows.

Welcome GimpyZebra,

I can relate to the zoning out part and not being able to talk to more than one person at time, but I'm not sure what an appropriate professional would say about that; maybe some others may have some wisdom?

Back to zoning out, I just call it my at times alouf part of my personality; that doesn't really bother me unless people that don't know that side of me get offended, then I'll explain and hopefully they will understand. I don't zone out all of the time. If I did zone out all of the time, I'd be more concerned.

Goodluck and let us know how it goes if you don't mind.

Post edited by: SassyJessy, at: 12/10/2008 16:07

Post edited by: SassyJessy, at: 12/10/2008 16:09

I don't get anxious, but I get irritated when it's really crowded or loud. I find loud noise to be distracting and it often makes me angry, for some reason. I try to avoid situations where there are large crowds because I feel like I'm suffocating.

I tend to be like Cynthia in crowds. I get really irritated and at times feel like I'm suffocating. It's getting worse the older I get. When we go to a restaurant I always ask for a booth bc it's usually on the side and it helps me focus bc I feel like I'm not "exposed" to the other people; if that makes sense. I have my own box, lol....