What Does Bipolar Disorder Mania Spending Look Like?

I have bipolar disorder. I used to spend enormous amounts of money during my hypomanic episodes. I’m much more stable now thanks to my treatment plan, but it doesn’t mean I’m cured!

Check this out.

mania pens 2015

 

Embarrassing, but better than spur of the moment trips to China and $2000 chairs!

This creeps up on me. I buy pens. I use them at work, but no one uses this many pens. I feel better when I buy pens, so I allow it. But I must stay aware and prevent bigger spending.

This illness wears me out, but we can survive and do just fine. What does your (or a loved one’s) manic spending look like? Do you have a plan in place to make sure it doesn’t go too far?

Julie

Concerned about a Loved One with a Bipolar Disorder?

b fatherWould you like to get help for a loved one with bipolar disorder? This post talks about my coaching pracice for family members and partners of people with bipolar disroder and other mental health disorders including schizo-affective disorder, anger and anxiety disorders and personality disorders.

Julie, who do you coach in your family and partner coaching? Do you ever work with people who have bipolar disorder?

I hear these questions a lot. First of all, I do not coach people with bipolar disorder. I recommend my books for those with bipolar disorder and encourage people to get a strong health care team. I LOVE writing books for, speaking with and talking to people [ Read More ]

Encouragement for a Tough Bipolar Disorder Day

peacock in full bloom I had the amazing experience of being calm and stable for a few days. What a joy. That is my mountain top and I plan to work all day to get back there soon! I can deal with what bipolar disorder gives me in most areas. The work issues continue to challenge me. I will not give up. I don’t want you to give up either! Bipolar disorder is a daily illness- at least the type I have comes up daily. There are many forms of course. Some people go months without episodes. I had a few years where I was very stable. This means it can happen again. Going with the flow helps. Not being hard on myself helps and doing my best at [ Read More ]

Why is it so Hard to Get Help for People with Bipolar Disorder Who are Ill and Smoking Pot?

 

 

amanda bynesThe majority of my bipolar disorder coaching practice involves a crisis situation where I help family members and partners get a loved on into treatment. In over 50% of the situations, the person with the illness is a heavy pot smoker which fuels the episode.

I have a plan I use and it WORKS, until we run into law enforcement that simply have no idea what they are up against when they go to the door of someone who has a mental illness.

In the past three days, I’ve worked with clients to locate the loved one who is ill so that we can send help. In every situation, the police arrive and the person with the illness 100% talks them out of this help. I have faith that law enforcement can [ Read More ]

Bipolar Disorder is an Everyday Challenge we can Meet!

When you have bipolar disorder, doing your best means doing what you can within the parameters set by the illness. This isn’t being negative or hopeless, it’s being realistic.

I HATE IT! yuck! Ick!

But it’s my life. When you love to work as much as I do, learning what you can and can’t do in order to stay stable is essential for success. It’s not a situation that has an end point. I wish I could just climb a mountain and reach a summit that says-

Julie, you now know exactly what you can and can’t do!

It’s not fixed this way. Every week I learn more about myself and am more accepting of what I do accomplish instead of always thinking I could do so much more if I were just able to work like a ‘regular’ person. Bipolar disorder affects me daily as it probably affects you or someone you care about- [ Read More ]

The New Psychotic Pot: Is High THC Marijuana Dangerous for People with Bipolar Disorder?

rainbowpotleaf-200x200

A quick explanation on why I believe bipolar disorder and pot smoking don’t mix.

 

I have bipolar disorder. I work as a coach for parents and partners of children with bipolar disorder. Here are my experiences:

 

1. For over three years now, at least 50% of the coaching situations I experience involve POT smoking that leads to mania and abnormal amounts of psychosis in the person with bipolar disorder. In my experience, people who continue to smoke pot that causes bipolar disorder symptoms do not get better. At this time, three of the six clients I’m working with have children who are either in the hospital or are about to go into the hospital because of pot induced bipolar psychosis. It’s not a joke and I hope it can be addressed rationally and reasonably [ Read More ]