Reply to MIL's out-of-control spending

Forum Index » Family Relationships

Reply to "MIL's out-of-control spending"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP here. To the posters that mentioned bipolar I'm curious why you ask?  Is this a sign?  What are some of the other symptoms?  I doubt it, but who knows. She is generally batty but I doubt she deserves a mental illness pass. She has always been extremely selfish but I'm willing to keep an open mind. [/quote]

OP, I'm a new poster who has been away and just saw this thread.

Crazy overspending can be a sign of bipolar for sure. My friend came across to the world as a very "got it together" person, super smart, kind (not selfish like your MIL) -- but in her manic states she would spend money like crazy and end up with closets stuffed with unopened items and clothes with the tags still on them. She lost a great job because she used a company credit card to spend on personal stuff while in a severe manic period. That kind of woke her up to the problem. She stopped it all once she actually got properly diagnosed (she was misdiagnosed as depressed for quite a while) and got medications and the right therapy for bipolar.

We can't diagnose your MIL here but I'm just adding that yes, excessive spending can definitely be a sign of bipolar disorder.

If your MIL spends and spends but does it consistently, all the time, she might instead be addicted to shopping or merely very, very self-centered and naïve about credit. Someone who is bipolar might spend in intense bursts but then later regret it during a depressive episode -- that was my friend's pattern, at least; I can't speak for all of those with bipolar disorder.

But a diagnosis of any mental health issues would [u]not[/u] excuse the damage done, or change the fact that your MIL's spending is going to harm YOUR family if your husband and you keep supporting the spending habit, no matter what its psychological roots.

Time for a serious intervention that includes some of the legal tactics others mention above, maybe. And as someone noted above -- if your husband got ill, for instance, or you did, or a child had as serious or sudden illness or your own family incurred an unexpected debt -- what happens then, if you're on the hook for MIL as well? Your husband sounds great but it's time to put that question to him.

[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics