Bipolars and Money

One of the symptoms of a manic or hypomania episode in bipolar disorder isexcessive money spending, compulsive shopping and impulsive purchases.

 Themajority of people have at some stage experienced these activities.  So why this is considered as part of a majormental disorder? Not all reckless spenders are bipolar but for anyonewith bipolar disorder it can become a problem with serious consequences.

During bipolar episodes there is often a lackof ability to associate actions with consequence. This might in part be due tothe feelings of grandiosity; inflated unrealistic ideas of ability. Also thediminished ability to think and reason contributes but knowing why is notenough when the bills pile up.

There are some for which seems to thecompulsion to reach the goal totally dominates the action. The creativecapability of hypomania may be the driving force. The reasoning ability is not clearenough to know the compulsion to get what they want at that point in time whichdominates all actions is part of the disorder.

For the bipolar individual it is best toaccept the potential for inappropriate financial activities exists and to takeprecautions to limit the potential damage. Access to credit cards is vital. Anycash allowance should be spread over time instead provided all at once.

 Often it is the compulsive need to spend,without regard for the desired or need for the items that the act satisfies.Whatever the case it is known that the inability to handle money by bipolar peoplethe paramount issue is to prevent catastrophe and avoid the consequences thatcome from the symptom.