[sammynorton90]

My friend was recently diagnosed with bipolar. It turns out he has up debts of about 3grand, simply spending money he doesn't have. Can being depressed cause you to be a reckless spender or is it not related?

[daisychaindream]

For some people, yes it can, especially with bipolar which causes manic highs...when a sufferer is manic it can cause reckless behaviours and often spending money is one of them.

[Anonymous]

(Original post by sammynorton90)
My friend was recently diagnosed with bipolar. It turns out he has up debts of about 3grand, simply spending money he doesn't have. Can being depressed cause you to be a reckless spender or is it not related?

Yes definitely. I know this from personal experience...

When your depressed, your ability to think about the consequences of spending money you really shouldn't is void, you basically don't give a s**t

I went through a 2/3 year period of depression, resulting in a lot of drinking to excess (Alcoholism...), before i managed to pull myself out of it. I'm still paying for the consequences of it now (lost my car, couldn't afford repayments, nearly lost flat - though that is still hit and miss these days)

So in answer to your question once more, yes it can definitely cause you to become a reckless spender.

[JasonAlanWard]

No ! Thrill seeking is the principle cause of spendthrift behaviour. That; in turn, is usually caused by a low number of dopamine receptors. So; nodopetors beware !
However; if you have Type 1 Bipolar, the THRASHING effect of being thrown between depressed states and manic states can have a DESTABILIZING influence, which can extend into other areas of your life.
Apart from the obvious medication, people with bipolar (and their associates) have to learn to MODERATE their activity according to the current STATUS of their minds (up/down...).
It is a truly awful condition.
You learn when to "put the person to bed," and when to "try to give them a lift."
The only thing you can do (apart from pray) is to realize this tendency, and attempt to stop it's progression into ever weirder and weirder extremes...
This can be tricky at times and is usually best left to people that know the sufferer concerned, as most others will just think them highly irrational, and/or sullen...
Hope that helps.

[BananaSkins]

Yes, definitely. Especially with bipolar, which is different to 'normal' depression because the person experiences manic highs as well as extreme depression, in phases. Often, people with bipolar go out on reckless spending sprees (ie. gambling, spending massive amounts of money) during their high phases, so if you're a close friend of this person it would be helpful if you could try to moderate their behaviour, both when they're depressed and when they're manic.