Appropriate or inappropriate behavior

I've been very irritated by new T trying to diagnose me bipolar.

But she said my hobby hopping can be seen as hypomanic episodes, asked if I ever stop them before finishing them. I don't-I go all in, BUY everything I need to engage in the activity, do it for three months, six months or a year, whatever- lose interest (get depressed) and do nothing for awhile, then eventually I get into something else, or go back to an earlier hobby (sewing, gardening, hiking, exercising, photography, horse riding lessons (groupon!!) etc)

IS that hypomania?

So, I was sitting in my abnormal psych class half paying attention and perusing offerup for cheap power tools (drill, jigsaw, heat gun) when it suddenly popped into my head that these purchases (however cheap) are essentially unnecessary bc I don't HAVE to garden in this way- (garden barrel) and thus the behavior could be construed as "inappropriate or reckless spending"

So far during this....new hobby, I have spent money on:

25 strawberry plants: $17.99
Two 55 gallon barrels: $20
Four 15 gallon barrels: $20
PVC Pipe: $8
Lid:$2
Plug: $6

Still need:
Makita Drill + Charger: $20
Jig saw: $20
Heat gun: $20 (May be able to use my crafting heat gun and not need this.)

So I could buy all this stuff and make my buckets, but the cost of tools is high, and I probably won't use them again for a really long time, and it may make more sense to just buy an already built one I found online for $100, OR pay a guy $100 to build me two of them using HIS tools, so I don't have to buy any.

Or I could try to borrow the tools from my neighbor who is likely to have them and be willing to lend them to me.

The thing is, maybe it IS a bipolar/borderline symptom that I spend this money?

Where is the line between spending money on myself bc I deserve it/want to, and spending recklessly and having it be a symptom of a disorder?

I do technically have it to spend (loan money) but I can't decide if the reason I feel guilty about buying what I want for a hobby that brings me pleasure is bc it's really inappropriate or because I feel guilty about not spending it on my mom.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Omg why is america so cheap it would literally cost a minimum of $1000 dollars is australia to do all of that and that is if you got super cheap stuff. Anyway one of the traits of bpd is reckless spending

I have no answers.

Lol the stuff I bought (barrels, tools) are used off of the internet.

Even new they would each only cost $40-$70 each. Doubt it would be a thousand dollars anyplace, though. Few hundred, yes.

But I'm cheap and don't need new things.

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

Yeah, that's the thing about singling out behavior, they literally could be signs and symptoms of over a dozen diseases or just be totally normal!

If you've been seeing your present T for a while and this person has done a thorough assessment, then of course what they say has more credibility and you might want to really consider their view and look at the evidence they've used to draw this conclusion. If you want, get a second opinion too.

But myself, due to depression, I do get into different hobbies and interests, sometimes more quickly, sometimes not. I think your average person also has a variety of interests and can go from hobby to hobby. People are not robots! One of my friends, who is mentally healthy, is quite artistic so this person too engages in a lot of artistic things, based on how the mood strikes them.

In my case, whenever depression lifts, I find the strength to go after one of my interests but then it hits me again and I give up. Sometimes I wonder if the thought of going after the same hobby or interest just reminds me too much of my failure, so I just go after another one of my hobbies next time I feel better.

The drill alone would cost around 300
strawberry plants 100
all barralles 200
pipe 30
lid 10
plug 10
charger 70
jig saw 200
heat gun 150.
It is also expensive where i live in particular
and a gardner would cost around 1000.

I am not making this up converse over here cost around $90 and a T-shirt for girls will cost between 30 and 40 dollars

I've switched hobbies like you describe--buying the "stuff" to start up, trying it for awhile, maybe even a class or two but kinda fading out on it after awhile. I'm a lot lot of things but bipolar's not one of them. I think anyone searching for a sense of self/usefulness/purpose goes through things like this. You did it all frugally, so it doesn't sound like a manic spending binge.

I'm wary of any T who seems to be too hung up on a preconceived idea. If more than one trusted source said, hey you seem to be manic, then yes you could take it more seriously. But if it is only one person saying it, it is understandable to be skeptical.

For used things? !!!!!

How can you afford to live there?

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

Honestly, I don't consider this "reckless spending." I used to spend thousands at once on credit, doing crazy stuff like randomly dying my hair blonde. What I bought wasn't planned out, it was more frenzied and binge-like. I felt high and like I knew it was a destructive thing to do but I didn't care.

I could have written this. When my depression is the worst, sometimes I spend money on hobbies to make myself feel better, but I do do it. To me, hypomanic would imply some sort of mildly out-of-control spending or purpose-less spending. It doesn't sound like that's what you're doing.

Like growly, I'm skeptical of a T who tries to look for ways fit symptoms to a diagnosis instead of looking for the best diagnosis for the presentation. Certainly, others in your life, especially previous therapists, would have noticed it. Go with your gut and your experience and ask yourself--how would this new diagnosis help me or change my current treatment plan or protocol?

(ps…a list of semi abandoned projects--windowbox gardening, succulent terrarium-making, knitting, crocheting, woodcarving, metal enameling, cold glass work, sewing, wool felting, jewelry making etc. etc.)

We dont we are in a recession and the economy has gone down the toilet. Also my family is in a lot of debt.

I use "retail therapy" sometimes (OK, pretty frequently lately) to make myself feel better. But I feel like it's within certain limits. Like I'll buy a bunch of stuff someplace like Old Navy (where it's cheap) or a few things at Nordstrom Rack, etc. It's not stuff I really *need* but it makes me feel better. I definitely have periods where I spend more money and others where I don't buy much. When I was younger, I would spend that money on music.

But I'm pretty sure I'm not bipolar. Generalized anxiety, panic disorder, OCD, social phobia, and some major depressive episodes, yes. But bipolar, no (and I've seen numerous therapists and p-docs). I even mentioned bipolar II once to my current T, since I thought maybe I had some hypomanic episodes (along with the depression), but she brushed it off and said it wasn't that.

So I don't think what you're doing is particularly manic. I mean, if you couldn't afford to buy food or pay rent or whatever but were spending tons of money on hobbies, then it could possibly be an issue. But this just seems like you get interested in something, then really immerse yourself in it for a while, then move on. Seems quite typical to me!

I think if you had a normal supportive growing up you had a chance to explore your interests instead of trying to survive. Now as an adult it makes sense to explore hobbies to try to find what speaks to you. I think it's kind of normal for hobbies to go in and out in our lives. I used to do a lot of beadwork but then I started writing a novel. When I am done with the novel I hope to return to beading.
Your spending doesn't sound manic. It's not a random thoughtless purchase if you are shopping for deals online. That means you are trying to stay within your budget and thinking it through.

What you do sounds normal to me. Also you don't have to stick with a hobby forever for it to be enjoyable or beneficial. My partner and I used to grow bonsai trees and spent a few hundred $$ om equipment etc. We stayed with it for about 2 years and had fun together and learned a lot. Ultimately we stopped because it's very HARD and we struggled to get our trees to survive and that was too disappointing. But I don't consider that time a waste. We tried something we always wanted to try and decided it wasn't for us.

Just having a lot of hobbies you pick up and put down doesn't make you bipolar. That said, I am diagnosed bipolar, and I've done a lot of the things you describe - get really into or excited about a project or hobby, research it in depth, plan everything out, look for deals...but either it fades quickly or I set it aside after a while. Sometimes I'll go back and pick it up, sometimes not. Right now I have about $200 worth of yarn sitting in storage for a big project I planned out in great detail, but never even started. It's about great intentions that don't get followed through.

These are some factors that might help you work it out:

Do your purchases leave you in financial difficulty?
Do you have a house that looks like a Home Depot demonstration area because of all the unfinished projects?
Do you feel out of control, or feel pressure to do these projects RIGHT now?
Do you make a lot of impulse buys?
Do you eventually (and frequently) wonder what in the world you were doing spending that money on these projects, after a little time has passed?
Do people around you act like you're doing something strange when you start or drop these hobbies, or tell you it's not a good idea?

The thing is, excessive spending/poor impulse control is just one factor to consider. Anybody could get into those patterns. If you're doing these things while you're also not sleeping, having racing thoughts, talking a lot more than usual, thinking you're going to develop a new strain of strawberry that will revolutionize the gardening world, being unusually sexually active, on a hair-trigger temper, feel pressured like you can't slow down...

Then this might warrant additional consideration as a bipolar thing. But bipolar hypo symptoms aren't standalone. You'll see a pattern of similar behaviors during that time.

Hope that helps. Good luck with your strawberries!

ETA: One surefire way to test this is to set yourself a three-day waiting period. If, at the end of three days, suddenly making that purchase isn't so important or interesting, then it may have been a mood thing.

My suggestion is to look carefully at all criteria in DSM-5 for a hypomanic episode and come to your own conclusion.

Lol actually I do feel some sense of urgency to get these things so I can plant my seedlings. They're still in the starter cups not growing bc they're too little.

And I did get angry with my mom for keeping my car out past the time I told her to bring it back bc I wanted to go drive to another city to pick up the Grow barrels.

I had NO sleep on Monday but it was because I took 30 mg vyvanse at 2 pm (so stupid I know) but I took it yesterday too and I slept (2am-8am) but I do feel a tad keyed up on it.

I don't think I'm talking any differently though.

I thought vyvanse would make me more productive (homework wise) but I don't feel like doing homework I want to play in the garden.

I'm going to lose ten points for submitting my paper two days late but I'm doing a ten point extra credit paper to make up for it so my grade will remain the same (an A)

Btw here's my very first strawberry. Warning: it is microscopic and a magnifying glass may be required, lol

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

My suggestion is to look carefully at all criteria in DSM-5 for a hypomanic episode and come to your own conclusion.

Um does your new t know about the vyvanse. How often are you taking it? Taking a stimulant could make you seem bipolar when you are not. Taking a drug like that could really impact diagnosis.

It's not a new T it's a new psychiatrist, and yes she knows I'm taking it bc she prescribed it.

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

Does she know when you are taking it?

I have to say that since the money you are spending on these items are actually a loan (I assume for education) and isn't meant for these purchases and it is something you'll have to pay back, I'd say it is inappropriate. You don't really have the money to spend.

Plus you said you were late with your paper because you were busy with what you were buying and making

. I say it with with a lot compassion and understanding as I myself struggle with inappropriate spending and sprees that caused me serious problems that will take years to fix. I have a nice income and just by the sound of it I should be able to buy whatever the heck I want. But i have so much debt that the kind of spendings would be entirely inappropriate for me. (Not to say i don't continue with stupid spendings once in awhile )

Now if you told us you work full time make nice money and have money left after you pay bills and want to spend on whatever things, then it would be perfectly great

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well no one here can diagnose you, but you know that. And whether it's inappropriate isn't clear either- it depends on more than just hat you're telling us here. It's the patterns of mania or hypomania followed by depression that tell your doctor about bipolar disorder and they are looking for more factors than what you've listed here. I will say that a lot of people with bipolar II don't know they have it because they can usually function ok. Sometimes they are really energetic and productive, so they seem to be doing well.

Spending is reckless when it's impulsive and when you are spending more than have and/neglecting your other financial responsibilities. Are you responsible for some of your mothers finances or do you just feel like you should give her money? There is a big difference...

My God that's like the most beautiful precious thing...I love this picture!