I spent money I didn't have even before I was diagnosed bipolar. I've been overspending and foolishly spending since I was 8 years old. My mom said I come by it honestly, she's always been like that too.

I got myself in huge trouble with my credit card in my early 20's, they just kept raising my credit limit and I just kept spending it. I ended up $15,000 in debt and the interest payments were astronomical. I couldn't afford them. I ended up taking out a line of credit to pay off the credit card because the payments would be much less, and my parents had to co-sign for it. I still have the credit card but it's maxed out at $500 and the bank has blocked me from increasing the limit until I've paid back the $15,000 line of credit at my parents' request. I can't get another credit card, my credit is ****.

I'm financially screwed because I'm on disability, haven't been able to work. I eat at food banks. I dropped out of school two years in a row and lost a whole bunch of financial aid so I've been in a hole for the past little while. I'm still trying to pay it back. My bank account is currently overdrawn but I can't do anything about it. A paypal charge for one of my bills got rejected but they keep re-sending it and every time they do, I get a new insufficient funds charge of about $90. So I'm getting further and further overdrawn and I can't do anything about it until I get my next disability cheque and even then I need to pay bills and eat. My doc recently gave me permission to work 10 hours a week max, but the way things are going right now I'm not sure. I'm trying to finish my undergrad, I can't afford to go nuts and drop out again. I won't make it back.

So yeah, financial binds really suck.