Living with Bipolar Disorder: How to Keep Your Finances Under Control During a Manic Episode

Millions of Americans are living with bipolar disorder, a mental illness characterized by extreme mood swings and sometimes erratic behavior. Medications are extremely effective in treating bipolar disorder, but no matter how good a particular medicine is, a person with bipolar disorder may still experience episodes of mania and depression at times. Manic episodes often start out with feelings of being happy and ultra-productive, however, it doesn't take much time for more negative symptoms to appear, such as a compulsion to have sex or spend money. Indeed, many people with bipolar disorder have seen their financial lives ruined due to poor decisions made during manic episodes. Luckily, there are some steps you can take to help keep your finances from getting out of control during a bipolar episode of mania.

The first thing to realize is that your bipolar disorder is making you feel like you need to spend excessive amounts of money, so it may take some hard work and self-discipline to keep your wallet in check. As soon as you start to feel a manic episode coming on, you should be prepared to go into "damage control" mode. You'll want to set a weekly spending limit for yourself--it should be enough money so you won't feel deprived, but not so much that you can't pay your bills. Once you've set an amount, go to the bank and withdrawal that amount of cash, then take your credit cards out of your wallet and leave them at home. By only spending cash, you'll be able to keep tabs on your spending more easily, and you'll make sure that you don't make any extravagant "impulse purchases" that you really can't afford.