One of the hallmarks of bipolar disorder is spontaneity and impulsivity. A person with bipolar disorder may do impulsive, uncharacteristic, or risky things like spending a lot of money.
"When people are experiencing manic episodes, one of the most common features is this compulsive urge to spend money, to buy things for themselves," Dr Whitton said. "Often people can become very generous — buying gifts for loved ones, donating money to charity.
Bipolar disorder linked to money problems such as impulsive spending, gambling problems, debt from mood episodes. Money problems can be an early warning sign of a mood episode. Financial stress can contribute to mood episodes.
Maladaptive strategies include venting, denial, substance use, behavioral disengagement, self-distraction, and self-blame.
Mental health can affect the way you deal with money
Spending may give you a brief high, so you might overspend to feel better. You might make impulsive financial decisions when you're experiencing mania or hypomania. If your mental health affects your ability to work or study, this might reduce your income.
Research presented in 2017 on people managing bipolar disorder clarified motivations and emotions that induced spending sprees. Participants reported the cycle of spending money because they already feel good, followed by guilt, remorse, anxiety, depression, then spending to feel good.
One of the most common problems experienced by people with bipolar disorder are spending sprees—shopping expeditions that are really more about the spending process itself rather than any genuine desire for the items purchased. “People use a variety of strategies to self-medicate.
Major depression, also known as unipolar or major depressive disorder (MDD), is characterized by a persistent feeling of sadness or a lack of interest in outside stimuli.
For example, the belief, I am unlovable, may be driving the conditional rule, If I am thin, then I will be loved by others, which may drive obsessive thinking about one's appearance, excessive exercise, or disordered eating habits.
People with bipolar experience both episodes of severe depression and episodes of mania – overwhelming joy, excitement or happiness, huge energy, a reduced need for sleep, and reduced inhibitions. The experience of bipolar is uniquely personal.
If you have bipolar disorder, it doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to go on and develop a social anxiety disorder or have problems socially, but the chances are higher and social anxiety has been linked to bipolar disorder.
Ups and downs are natural in any romantic relationship, but when your partner has bipolar disorder it can feel like you're on an emotional rollercoaster. Not knowing what to expect each day is stressful and tiring. Over time, it wears on the relationship.
Answer questions honestly. But don't argue or debate with a person during a manic episode. Avoid intense conversation. Don't take comments or behavior personally.
Bipolar disorder can cause your mood to swing from an extreme high to an extreme low. Manic symptoms can include increased energy, excitement, impulsive behaviour, and agitation. Depressive symptoms can include lack of energy, feeling worthless, low self-esteem and suicidal thoughts.
People with anxiety or depression may spend money because it offers temporary relief from their symptoms. People with bipolar mania, attention deficit disorder (ADD) or substance use disorders may also go on spending sprees due to a lack of impulse control.
Alternatively, clinical psychologists have long focused on maladaptive personality traits in their consideration of 10 personality disorders (PDs): paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal, borderline, histrionic, antisocial, narcissistic, avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive.
Maladaptive behaviors are generally those that hinder you from adapting to or coping with situations or stressors in healthy ways. Examples can include self-isolation due to anxiety, sleeping too much due to depression, and lashing out at others when overwhelmed or angry.
Signs of Maladaptive Behavior
Avoiding things that are stressful or unpleasant. Engaging in maladaptive daydreaming, which involves elaborate fantasies that replace real-life interactions. Hiding your true feelings rather than asserting opinions or emotions. Hurting yourself to cope with feelings of distress.
Clinical depression is the more-severe form of depression, also known as major depression or major depressive disorder. It isn't the same as depression caused by a loss, such as the death of a loved one, or a medical condition, such as a thyroid disorder.
Women are more likely to have depression than men. An estimated 3.8% of the population experience depression, including 5% of adults (4% among men and 6% among women), and 5.7% of adults older than 60 years. Approximately 280 million people in the world have depression (1).
It is diagnosed when an individual has a persistently low or depressed mood, anhedonia or decreased interest in pleasurable activities, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, lack of energy, poor concentration, appetite changes, psychomotor retardation or agitation, sleep disturbances, or suicidal thoughts.
Many people develop an addiction as a way to cope with their emotions. This is the same for those with a shopping addiction. Compulsive shopping and spending may be a way for you to avoid or mask negative and uncomfortable feelings such as sadness, boredom, stress and anxiety.
Looking back at what happened during a mood episode can stir powerful emotions. It's common to feel embarrassed, humiliated, ashamed, even worthless. There's often regret, sharpened by fear that you've alienated people in your life.
Messiness as a sign of an episode of mania
Overspending may result in a lot of purchases that you may not have room for at home. In turn, this could lead to cluttering. All these behaviors during an episode of mania could make messiness more likely to occur for some people living with bipolar disorder.