This is what I do as well. I've only done this full blown one time, but the debt still chases me. For about 5 or 6 years after that I avoided credit cards all together. But a couple of years ago I got a credit card and for the first year or year and half I did really well with it. However I went into a soft mania (I guess is the best way to describe it) about 6 months ago. Since then I've been fighting with two maxed cards.

I think that mania can be triggered by anything that causes you severe stress. If for you it's being in crowded places, I don't think it's unreasonable to think that that would may trigger a mania. I'm a little surprised that your doctor basically told you to google it. That just sounds... unprofessional.