Understand what is the disease of accelerated thinking, which causes irritation and insomnia

Funk singer and youtuber Dani Russo explained in recent days to her 13 million followers on Instagram the reason for her disappearance from social networks: a crisis linked to Accelerated Thinking Syndrome , with which she would have been diagnosed in 2021, and had to be hospitalized. “I am being medicated. It’s all ‘okay’ already,” she said.

At the time of diagnosis, she was treated for anxiety and depression and, she says, was hospitalized every three months with insomnia, stomach pain, vomiting and difficulty eating.

In Accelerated Thought Syndrome, the origins can be disorders such as anxiety, bipolarity and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and even be the effect of drug use, such as cocaine.

From the point of view of psychiatry, human thinking is classified into three levels, as explained by Mario Louzã, from the Adult ADHD Outpatient Clinic at the Psychiatry Institute of the Hospital das Clínicas of the USP School of Medicine.

“There is thought with the normal course; the accelerated, when it starts to be so fast that we have difficulty expressing it, the tachypsychia; and it can be slowed down in some psychiatric conditions, bradypsychia,” he says.

According to the specialist, the acceleration of thought can be perceived in the patient’s speech, or reported by him, who often complains that he does not follow the rhythm of his own reasoning. Once perceived, it is necessary to identify the underlying disease. “Acceleration opens up a range of possible diseases, and you need to make the differential diagnosis, because the treatments will vary according to the disease”, explains Louzã.

How is the treatment performed

If the underlying disease is an anxiety disorder, the treatment includes anxiolytic drugs or antidepressants that also have anxiolytic action. In bipolar disorder, drugs seek to control the acceleration of thought and stabilize mood. Finally, those diagnosed with ADHD are treated with medication to decrease physical and mental hyperactivity.

For psychologist Maura de Albanesi, in addition to being associated with mental illnesses, accelerated thinking can correspond to an acquired habit, linked to stressful situations. “It’s an autopilot that says all the time, ‘I’m in trouble.’ And that brings lack of sleep, brings hypersensitivity, irritability”.

According to her, this emotional framework is often linked to the perception that it is only possible to be valued when it is useful and productive. It can be treated with psychotherapeutic monitoring that, depending on the case, will be combined with psychiatric drug treatment.

The information is from the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo.