Flight of ideas is a symptom of psychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and ADHD. It involves rapid speech that jumps from one topic to another with loose associations. It can be a sign of a highly agitated mind and may require medical attention.
Flight of ideas is a symptom of several psychiatric disorders, most notably bipolar I disorder during manic phases and schizophrenia, and more rarely with conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This rapid flow of speech that seems to jump from one topic to another, often with loose associations or puns between topics. Very young children may normally show racing ideas, although as they mature they usually grow out of this. The condition is considered unusual in people who are old enough to stay on topic, but fail to do so, even though they are trying.
As stated, rapid talk moves rapidly from one topic to another without transitions or interruptions and can continue for long periods. For example, a person might say, “Look at the sun, sun, sun, bun, bun, honey bun, bunny, bun in the oven.” Another person might just jump from topic to topic like this: “I don’t know what I’m going to do with Tony. Well, it’s the neighbor’s dog barking again. Did you notice that June is three weeks away? Dude, it’s hot in here. There’s a sale at the mall that I just can’t miss.”
The second example makes it clear that there can be little relationship between one subject and another, as if the mind cannot focus and cannot control the direction of thought. Thoughts are flying, coming in a rapid sequence that makes little sense. Many people with psychiatric disorders report feeling this flight of ideas whether or not they voice them, and this can have a disorienting effect, or it may seem that the person’s thinking ability is greatly increased.
This condition occurs for people with bipolar disorder primarily when they are in a manic state, and there is discussion as to whether those with bipolar II disorder who are in hypomanic states often express this trait. In schizophrenia, the flight of ideas may occur whenever the illness is ongoing and the thoughts may be even more disjointed or refer to delusions of the schizophrenic. In the example above, the ideas are relatively mundane, but in both bipolar mania and schizophrenia, the thoughts can have much less impact on reality and be difficult to understand. Ideas about ADHD can vary in quality of reality as well, depending on things like the age of the person expressing them.
In all cases, this symptom is evidence of a highly agitated mind and a person who is probably not responding well to treatment. People with long-term bipolar disorder likely express that medications need to be changed or adjusted because they are undergoing a medical destabilization. Schizophrenics, who are already in treatment, are also likely to need extra help at this stage.
This symptom may also be one of the first noticeable symptoms of one of these diseases or of ADHD. This means that the brainstorming suggests that medical attention is needed so that the person does not become further destabilized. Even with medication adjustments or the first treatment of an illness, it may take some time for the medications to clear up the racing brain.
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