Expert: Jurriaan Plesman, Nutritional Psychotherapist - 8/26/2006

Question
My daughter was diagnosed bipolar last week after four months of wild behavior including running up more than $50,000 in debt. I have searched and searched the internet and all the sources acknowledge that running up massive debt is common in bipolar, but nowhere have I found information on how in the world the bipolar person pays this debt back and how in the world the person keeps from doing it again, and who is responsible for that debt (my daughter is 24 and about to be discharged from the Navy on medical discharge which means she will no longer have the income), and we continue to read that "family support" is important, but nowhere do these sites define what family support means. We have absolutely no way to pay her massive debt and she seems oblivious to it and is talking about going back to school as if all her financial needs and responsibilities will mysteriously take care of themselves. Where can we find information on this very serious aspect of bipolar? We are terrified of this whole thing...

Answer
Hello krys,

This is indeed a difficult situation to be in. Your daughter is an adult in the eyes of the law and her debt is her responsibility. I don't know how this can be resolved legally and perhaps you could ask the advice of a lawyer. I do not think that you can be held responsible for your daughter's behaviour.

Being Bipolar is a fairly serious disease and needs to be in the hands of a psychiatrists.

There are nutritional ways of reducing the symptoms and this is by going on a hypoglycemic diet.

One good source book is:

Werbach,M.R.(1991), NUTRITIONAL INFLUENCES ON MENTAL ILLNESS, A Sourcebook of Clinical Research, Third Line Pres, Inc.Tarzana. Cal.

See chapter on Bipolar Disorder.

The hypoglycemic diet plus avoidance of any allergies and food sensitivities will reduce the stress hormones and reduce the wild mood swings from which Bipolar people suffer.

Please read:

What is Hypoglycemia? at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/what_is_hypo.html

The Hypoglycemic Diet at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/hypoglycemic_diet.html

“The Nutritional Aspects of Schizophrenia” at:
”http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/news/hyponl2001_06.pdf

and go to page 7 of the Newsletter. This may contain information also applicable to Bipolar disorder.

I hope you'll find ways of solving your problems.

Jurriaan Plesman BA (Psych), Post Grad Dip Clin Nutr.
Author of "Getting off the Hook" (Google Book Search)
For more free articles
www.hypoglycemia.asn.au