Tachypsychia is to thought what tachycardia is to the heart rate: an increased rate of thought. Present as a symptom in many psychiatric pathologies, it also exists in some non-psychiatric people at one time or another in their existence. 

Tachypsychia, from the Greek tachy (rapid) and psyche (thought), is a symptom of psychic life which manifests itself by an abnormal rapidity of the course of thought, a kind of flight of ideas which translates concretely for the exterior by very rapid (logorrhea) and sometimes inconsistent speech.

Indeed with the acceleration of the course of thought, the processing of these cognitive sequences (thoughts) by consciousness is not sufficient and they run the risk of collapsing (crowded thoughts) and of no longer being coherent, passing through example of the “rooster with the ass” without there being any links between the thoughts (cognitions) which follow one another.

The subject who experiences this tachypsychia is not necessarily aware of it depending on the pathology in which it is inscribed, but may feel the anguish of being thus invaded by so many thoughts at the same time. In other circumstances, the subject is aware of this thought disorder but cannot control it which is a source of psychic suffering with the fear of going mad and no longer being in reality (feeling of derealization). 

There are also personalities who have an intelligence and an alertness out of the ordinary (HP or high potential) without presenting a psychiatric disorder and who live permanently with a too important flow of thoughts which never stops and may suffer from it.

Several causes are possible in the face of tachypsychia, the most frequent of which is a psychiatric pathology or a particular personality profile and the taking of certain medications or drugs.

Among the psychiatric causes of tachypsychia, we can find:

Bipolar disorder 

Bipolar disorder with alternating manic state (phase of excitement) and sometimes severe depression. During the manic state, tachypsychia is most often present with flight of ideas, logorrhea (very rapid speech), puns and disjointed speech (passage from rooster to donkey). These are so-called “swarming” thoughts. The subject is rarely aware of his thought disorder.

L’hypomanie

It is a permanent state of excitement which remains coherent (so-called accelerated thoughts) but during which the subject is hyperactive until exhaustion (psychomotor agitation), with disturbances in attention, an esteem of elevated self, feeling invulnerable, less need to sleep and tachypsychia.

ADHD 

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is characterized by impulsivity, inattention and hyperactivity. It mainly concerns children, but can continue into adulthood. Tachypsychia is observed in subjects suffering from ADHD with an acceleration, overproduction of uncontrollable and incessant thoughts. These thoughts are superficial but not delusional, often associated with exhausting logorrhea for those around them.

People with high potential (HP)

These are so-called precocious or gifted people. They are first and foremost children who retain their high potential once they become adults. They very often suffer from socio-emotional disorders, anxiety disorders and a high intellectual and verbal potential. Paradoxically, their education can be chaotic. Tachypsychia is very often present in this type of personality.

Schizophrenia

She can develop an atypical manic state with psychic excitement and mood, associated with a particular tachypsychia: ideas jostle each other according to an incoherent web according to associations by contiguity that it is difficult to follow for an outside observer and which gives a feeling of strangeness.

Among the causes of tachypsychia related to the taking of drugs or stimulants are found:

• Amphetamines which improve intellectual performance and concentrations but are addictogenic and can lead to exhaustion and depression;
• Cannabis creates a state of gentle euphoria conducive to detachment from reality, to a loss of motivation but also to the outbreak of a delirious flush or a manic state with expansive mood, logorrhea and tachypsychia;
• Stimulants like coffee or tobacco can also stimulate intellectual performance through relative tachypsychia and better concentration. However, in high doses, they can cause anxiety and sleep disturbances;
• Alcohol can also have a disinhibitory state and promote disorganized tachypsychia associated with arousal and logorrhea.

Treatments for tachypsychia will depend on the pathological framework in which this symptom occurs:

For a manic state

Treatment with atypical neuroleptics, mood regulator (mood stabilizer) and anxiolytics is often necessary to treat the bipolar disorder in which it is a part. In the acute phase, hospitalization is often necessary.

For hypomania

In particular, when it is severe and there is pain, a mood regulator or a neuroleptic is prescribed. Psychotherapeutic work is also often associated through cognitive behavioral therapies, psychoeducation or Mindfulness Meditation which has demonstrated effectiveness on “mental wandering”.

For ADHD

The treatment will combine a psychosociotherapeutic approach, parental guidance and psychostimulant treatments such as Ritalin. It will slow down the tachypsychia often present in these disorders.

For children with high intellectual potential, an appropriate education will be required associated with individual psychotherapeutic approaches or sociotherapeutic groups of speech (associations of gifted people…) and a medical follow-up to treat the anxious or depressive episodes frequent in these personalities.

For patients with schizophrenia

The treatment of schizophrenia makes it possible to smooth the psychotic episodes during which atypical manic states occur.

Weaning should be considered and implemented to treat addictions, amphetamines, cannabis, coffee, tobacco or alcohol.