Expert: Jurriaan Plesman, Nutritional Psychotherapist - 2/10/2011

Question
Dear Mr Plesman

I was searching the web about bipolar and found this website.  

My sister 39yrs has biopolar disorder and is dependent on the medical drugs.  
She has had many years of problems, rage, suicide threats, depression, anxiety.

She has separated from her ex boyfriend and has a few children at school to provide for.

She is on a pension and rents and the ex boyfriend pays the minimum child support.  

She has got herself into debt with a credit card, and may have to claim bankruptcy, but we are not sure until she sees the financial counsellor.  She has no way of paying it back as her pension will reduce in the future and she is not trained in a career and not computer literate, and has been unemployed for the past 6 years while bringing up the children.

Last year she took out a mobile phone plan where she only had to pay 29 per month, although she has rung up enormous bills over the last 8 months and up to $350 last month.  
When she signed up for the plan I contacted the obudsman in the event she might want to get out of the plan, but she didn't want to.  
Now its 8 months later and the spending has got out of hand.  
Mum and I are the ones she comes to to ask for money to pay the bills she can't pay.  
It has come to a head, and we are now refusing to give her any more money.  
We thought she would learn a lesson, but she hasn't.  
After the last bill she said she would never use the phone again, yet she continues to use it.  
What I am concerned about is that she seems to have forgotten she has used the phone, and wonders why the bill is so high.
I have contacted the obudsman and have been able to negotiate to get her out of the contract and credit the usage charges.  

We are very concerned because her spending is out of hand, and she can't afford to buy food for the children, pay for petrol for the car, or rent.  Its all going on the phone and credit card repayments.  She continues to use the credit card when she runs out of money.  There are other things she is spending money on, and just doesn't seem to have any realistic view that she needs the money to buy healthy food for the kids.  They eat very poorly and get sick a lot.

I was searching on the website and it said one of the symptoms was over spending.

It seems her calls are to her other siblings to talk about the problems, I have suggested she pursue counselling but she is not interested.  She only has one friend about her age.  

I know this is about over spending but I think it may be connected to the biopolar disorder.

I await your advice
Therese

Answer
Dear Therese,

Her reckless spending is a sign of he Bipolar Disorder and it simply means that she is not treated properly for her illness. It seems to me that the government should take over the management of this patient and her children. She needs to be controlled by a Government Agency.

As to treatment, she should be in the hands of both a psychiatrist and a Nutritional Doctor. There is not much you can do except to make sure that you yourself do not get caught up in her illness.

_______________________________________________
Jurriaan Plesman, Nutritional Psychotherapist.
Hon. Editor of
The Hypoglycemic Health Association of Australia.
www.hypoglycemia.asn.au
Author of "Getting off the Hook"
Freely available at Google Book Search
Skype: jurplesman