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Husband's hot cars don't use any gas

By Amy Dickinson, Tribune Content Agency on

Dear Amy: My husband is a compulsive spender. He buys vehicles and will hide them and never drive them.

For many years, he has blamed bipolar disorder as the cause of his behavior.

I understand that bipolar disorder can lead to impulsive spending. However, I think there's a problem more than bipolar, because he lies so much about his behavior.

Things get out of control, then he will admit what's going on, and then within a year he will do it again.

He now has a truck and has purchased another one. I drive a leased SUV, and he is currently hiding a Camaro.

Does bipolar disorder cause the spending and the lies? I would love to know.

 

-- Concerned Wife

Dear Concerned: I cannot provide a definitive answer regarding bipolar disorder. Most importantly, I'm not a qualified mental health practitioner. Aside from that, I don't know whether your husband has bipolar disorder. Has he been diagnosed?

I do know that symptoms of bipolar can be (but are not confined to): spending, hoarding and other behaviors that can be described as compulsive or manic. Along with those anxiety-driven behaviors, people with bipolar also commonly experience periods of deep depression.

Generally, people hide things because they don't want to be found out. And they don't want to be found out because they are ashamed, embarrassed, avoidant, denying or simply want to continue the behavior without getting caught. People lie because they fear the consequences of facing up to their actions; they are trying to delay the inevitable.

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