What is symptom of mental disease and what is just plain lazy/irresponsible

I am bipolar, but not treated currently... and I wondered... they say abnormal spending is a symptom of the manic phase... well, I do spend, but not to get myself in the debt. Sure I do not need all the clothes and cosmetics, but is it really the mental illness, or is it just me being... a girly girl who likes clothes and make-up and stuff?

I know Carrie Bradshaw of Sex and the City is not real, but she never showed any symptoms of any mental problems, but she still had little savings and lot of shoes. Where is the line between lifestyle and having a problem?

I like to party and drink, I own way too many nailpolishes, jewelry and long skirts... so is it me or are these just symptoms? I do have a limit on my credit card, so I don't spend that much... but I do like shopping. I am more philosophical than concerned.

Interesting. Should you decide in the future you have a problem, are you going to seek treatment for Bipolar or your philosophy?

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I just think that the perception of normal is so blurry that one does not really know what is still normal and what is a problem.

If your spending is not getting you into debt I don't believe your spending is a problem.

I like to buy things too. When Estee Lauder or Clinique had their bonuses I "had" to buy something because it was such a good deal and I deserve nice stuff, right? That was not a problem for a long time but about 2003 or so I started collecting model horses (one is my avatar). At first I bought inexpensive horses that cost less than $50 and I only bought them once in awhile. Not a problem. But I found several sites on the internet where they were sold and started wanting nicer horses. I bought one that cost $100 and said wow that's a lot of money for a horse. But still not a problem because I was not spending myself into debt. I spent more time online looking at the horses and I saw some horses that cost $400-500 and thought who would spend that much on a twelve inch tall horse. Within a few months I bought one that cost $400 but the seller let me pay $100 per month until it was paid in full so still not a problem. But it became a problem. I saw a horse on ebay that I loved and it cost $600. I won the auction. The next day a man came and knocked on my door and said I needed to pay $600 for my overdue electric bill or he would have to turn my power off. I had just a little over $600 cash in my purse. I said turn the electric off and drove to the post office and bought a money order for the horse and four days later I had my horse but no electric. I didn't care I was happy because I had my prized horse. I was beginning to have a problem. It got worse and worse. One weekend I spent an entire month's income on the internet to buy three horses. For six months I did not pay my mortgage because I wanted horses more. At my worst I spent $2500 that I took from my retirement to buy a horse. A plastic horse! $2500 is more than I make in a month. I was very lucky that my farm is owner financed because a bank would have foreclosed and I would have lost everything. Finally I got a letter saying if I did not start to catch up on my mortgage they would be forced to foreclose. I was shocked into depression and had to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital. When I came home I started paying my mortgage and I bought fewer horses though I still felt compelled that I must have more and better horses. The last couple of years have been better. I bought only two horses in the last two years and spent less than $100 on each and I commissioned artists to custom paint two horses in the past two years which cost about $300 for each.

That is my story of bipolar manic spending. It does not sound like you are in trouble yet but if you start spending like I did you would then have a problem.

VenusHalley, What does your therapist say?

Thanks for sharing your story, Yoda. I am glad you managed to overcome that stage.

Hippie... I am not in therapy at the moment. I talked to my friend with degree in psychology last night. She knows me quite well and is aware of my "issues". She told me to get a life and remember that there are people who take loan to buy christmas presents and it's well encouraged in our society... isn't that ironic in fact?

For me it comes down to: is it OK with you that you spend at the level you do?

-- If not, but something still stops you from cutting back, that would be the place to look for a problem.

-- Suppose your current level of spending is OK with you but you're concerned that your sense of "OK" might be off somehow. Well, then -- do you maintain the same general level of spending and sense of OK-ness over the long haul and still survive financially? In that case, you must be doing something right and you couldn't be too crazy.

Have we left any stone unturned? Maybe. In the title of this thread you ask about being lazy and/or irresponsible. Calling yourself names like that -- now that, I see as a problem!

Have we left any stone unturned? Maybe. In the title of this thread you ask about being lazy and/or irresponsible. Calling yourself names like that -- now that, I see as a problem!

Honestly? I am lazy and irresponsible and I cannot blame it on my hormonal imbalance. I always do task just before the deadline, no matter how much time I have. I do own a lot of clothes and things... I mostly used them all... but I could feed small african village with what I spend on things I don't really need. I sometimes get that guilty feeling.

Meh, maybe I should write "appartment!!!" on my credit card (and have another meme in my vallet where I keep cash) and see how it helps and stop obsessing about myself for a while.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/men...2/METHOD=print

Is that a European, perhaps French, term? I couldn't find an English (U.S.) translation anywhere.

shoud be one "p". How do you call it, however?

I seem to be missing a joke or something. What is the significance of writing "Apartment!!!" on a credit card?

--------------------
Q: "Why is a raven like a writing desk?"
A: "I give it up," Alice replied. "What's the answer?"
Q: "I haven't the slightest idea," said the Hatter.

[quote=Fool Zero;1343353] I seem to be missing a joke or something. What is the significance of writing "Apartment!!!" on a credit card?


Well, I don't have my own place and I want one. So I was thinging it would be a good meme for myself to be more responsible with my money. (Though not sure it would work... motivators generally do not work with me).

My feeling is that problems have to be a problem :-) If you can afford 82 bottles of nail polish (or pairs of shoes) and that's what you want, what's the difference between that and 82 books (like I have :-)

I could get into trouble though, being late for work, because I was reading. That's a problem. If you get to work hung over from drinking the night before or don't get enough sleep and "crash" on weekends, etc. that's a problem. But it doesn't necessarily need treatment unless you can't fix the problem alone or get fired and/or someone else is supporting you and has an issue with your buying all that stuff.