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Buying Sprees and Gambling
An Excerpt from Bipolar II (Rodale, 2006) by Dr. Ronald R. Fieve
Along with sexual indiscretions and comorbid alcohol and substance abuse, many with Bipolar II seek help only after they have recklessly spent their life savings or made wild bets on the stock market – and lost.
It is not unusual for hypomanics to go on wild shopping sprees, spending money they do not have (by running up debt on credit cards) and buying items they never intend to use but want more than anything at the time of the purchase. For instance, I will never forget the patient who came to our first appointment carrying a duffel bag filled with more than 100 pairs of white tennis socks!
I asked Veronica, a 31-year-old retail fashion buyer with Bipolar II, to write down her thoughts and feelings when she was unable to restrain herself from overspending. She wrote the following:
"When I start feeling that hypomanic 'buzz,' I never worry about earning money. Instead, I become intent on spending as much as I want. It is not unusual for me to run up my credit card debt in excess of 15 to 20 thousand dollars over a period of two or three weeks during this mental state. I buy anything and everything I see without regard to whether I need it or will use it. For example, last spring when I was experiencing a mild high, I booked a two-week Mediterranean cruise for myself and two girlfriends. I didn't even ask my friends if they could get off work at that time. I then realized that I had nothing to wear on the cruise and charged about $6,000 in resort wear, including two evening gowns for the late-night formal dinners. Looking back, I see how extravagant and emotionally based the spending was, especially when I found out my friends could not go and my credit cards were over their limits. But at the time, it seemed the right thing to do – get what I wanted to soothe my hypomanic state, and try to impress my friends at the same time."
