Overstimulation With Bipolar: Are They Related and How to Cope

Do you have strong feelings or reactions to certain noises, crowds, or bright lights? Do you often feel overwhelmed or overstimulated and wonder how bipolar disorder connects? The answer is more complicated than you might think.

In this episode, Dr. Nicole Washington, a board-certified psychiatrist, shares practical strategies for recognizing when overstimulation is intensifying, identifying personal patterns, and communicating effectively with your support system. Gabe Howard, who lives with bipolar disorder, draws on his own experiences to explain how stepping away, pausing before responding, and establishing simple agreements with the people around him can help prevent unnecessary conflict and support better symptom management. 

Listeners Will Learn:

·      How taking a short break can lead to improved productivity

·      Why managing overstimulation matters more than uncovering its origins

·      When (and what) lifestyle choices may be contributing to overstimulation

·      How to involve friends and family in coping strategies 

You may not be able to determine exactly why you're overwhelmed. But you can learn what makes it worse, what helps, and how to respond before it takes over. Listen now to better understand – and manage – overstimulation.

Pull Quote:

“I’m not interested in my bipolar symptom’s origin stories, so who cares what causes overstimulation? Let’s figure out how to work through it and manage it.” ~Gabe Howard, Host

Our host, Gabe Howard, is an award-winning podcast host, author, and sought-after suicide prevention and mental health speaker, but he wouldn’t be any of those things today if he hadn’t been committed to a psychiatric hospital in 2003.
Gabe also hosts Healthline's Inside Mental Health podcast has appeared in numerous publications, including Bipolar magazine, WebMD, Newsweek, and the Stanford Online Medical Journal. He has appeared on all four major TV networks, ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX.
Among his many awards, he is the recipient of Mental Health America’s Norman Guitry Award, received two Webby Honoree acknowledgements, and received an official resolution from the Governor of Ohio naming him an “Everyday Hero.”

Gabe wrote the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are available directly from the author with free swag included! To learn more about Gabe, or to book him for your next event, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.

Our host, Dr. Nicole Washington, is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she attended Southern University and A&M College. After receiving her BS degree, she moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma to enroll in the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed a residency in psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa.
Since completing her residency training, Dr. Nicole has spent most of her career caring for and being an advocate for those who are not typically consumers of mental health services, namely underserved communities, those with severe mental health conditions, and high performing professionals. Through her private practice, podcast, speaking, and writing, she seeks to provide education to decrease the stigma associated with psychiatric conditions. Find out more at DrNicolePsych.com.