Does anyone else get this or is it just me?

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When you're trying to focus on something and images or random thoughts flood your head so you find it hard to find a solution to what you're doing?

Is this an autistic trait? What is it?

I think it is ADD - usually goes with Autism. Happens to me all the time. I recommend caffeine (coffee, soft drink, etc.) which might help to put a rein on things. But will not actually make them go away.

not an autistic trait by itself

I feel that way. Like when someone is talking to me, my head is full of thoughts and random images from video games or movies- sometimes songs, sometimes past conversations, or conversations I might have in the future. I also look around a lot, can't always focus my eyes on the person.

I am not on the AS, I have bipolar. I tend to ruminate over negative past events during severe depression so much so that I can't focus on the present at all. Even though the episodes are under control now I still have trouble thinking of the date or doing mental arithmetic which I used to be quite good at.

Of course I feel like I have thousand different thoughts in my head.

I do. Usually it's in he form of not being able to switch to another subject because the previous one is still lingering in my head (or the random thought happens to be something to do with a special interest). That, and I'm sure some of it has to do with procrastination. Not sure if it's the same thing that you experience.

It could also be associated with a manic episode if you're bipolar.

Does this work? My first thought would be that a stimulant like caffeine should decrease the focus and increase the flood of thoughts and images if you have bipolar disorder or ADD.

My way to treat this problem would be to use sedatives (e.g. benzodiazepines) when I really need to shut down my brain. People usually think this is the opposite way to increase focus, but it works for me for some strange reason.

I don't think caffeine helps much with ADD, honestly. You can't ingest enough to work without getting side effects. But, generally, stimulants are supposed to help with ADD. They "wake up" the part of the brain that simply won't focus.