Boy, can I tell you about overspending. During a manic phase I ran up over $25,000 in credit card debt. I was in a frenzy and could not stop. And you know what? The scariest thing is I don't remember what I bought. It's like this haze surrounds the whole episode.

I thought my husband would divorce me when I finally told him. Fortunately I was able to take money out of my retirement account (not a smart move I know) to pay it all off. My husband did NOT divorce me (I wouldn't have blamed him if he had.). I cut up every single card I had and closed every account. We went through couples counseling about this and then I continued with counseling on my own.

We have a mental health contract drawn up which, among other things, specifically addresses spending. I know I will never take out a loan or have another credit card again, and I'm perfectly fine with that. I cannot control myself and this whole cycle would start all over again if I did.

I can't tell you what a tremendous relief it is not to lie all the time or have to hide my spending. Nor for trying to intercept the mailman so my husband wouldn't see my credit card bills or try to get home before a UPS delivery so he wouldn't see what I had ordered.

The stress, guilt and pressure were horrible to live with and were making me so much sicker. Thank God that part of my life is behind me now and I will never get myself into that situation again.