Bipolar Disorder (aka Manic Depressive)

[anonymuse]

I've read a lot of threads where people going through bk are also bipolar. I'm Bipolar Type II (hypomanic), but I've never really experienced the massive spending spree behavior, but I have had my share of small impulse buys where you never end up using the items.

There's such a stigma and misunderstanding in our society about mental illness. Did it come up in your case? Were you treated fairly? Can you share your experiences? (I'm really at the low end right now because of considering bk and need to de-stress about the whole situation.)

[Minnymouth]

Some people who do file bankruptcy suffer from many different problems.

Some it was medical bills, surgeries, lost jobs, no job, etc.

Others it was addictions to gambling, shopping, drugs, etc., or just plain ole trying to keep up with the Jones.

Bankruptcy knows NO race, religion, origin, or mental state, nor does it show partiality. It can and does affect all kinds.......

Some of us could have avoided it - had we seen the light in the window!!!

Some of us brought it on by our own hands and neglect. Hindsight is 20/20.

I'm sure others on here have experiences in the same area as you...... maybe they will have some comments...

Minny

[jane taylor]

I don't know off hand of any reason why your illness would come up during the BK process. Yes, there is still much stigma regarding psychiatric illnesses when it is not necessary. They are brain diseases. It makes sense that if someone's brain chemistry/structure is altered, then behavior changes. I've worked in the mental health field for years and have seen what the stigma does to my patients.

All of us have made poor choices when it comes to our money--ALL of us! That includes people who have not filed BK. No one is perfect.

You did not deserve to have this illness any more than someone deserves to have cancer.

Good luck to you and keep us posted.

jane

[anonymuse]

One of the symptoms of the manic phase is poor judgement. And the two most quoted things in the literature are spending sprees (thousands of dollars at a time) and promiscuity. Some people don't fully understand the condition or just know the highlights and think that's just using the illness as an excuse for bad spending.

[mydebtsucks]

What exactly is a "hardship case" that I have been reading about? Would a bipolar disorder make you a hardship case? That was one of my problems!

[edwards2]

Being bipolar does not make you a hardship case...for that matter why would it? My husband is bi-polar but it is not of the type where you go on spending sprees or have affairs. His is a chemical imbalance. He had severe depression and constant mood swings. To that end he tried to take his life a few years ago. Fortunately, he was unsuccessful. He is on constant meds though and his condition has been under control since but while it is a serious illness it is not in the hardship category.

[anonymuse]

What exactly is a "hardship case" that I have been reading about? Would a bipolar disorder make you a hardship case? That was one of my problems!

99.9% of the time student loans cannot be dismissed. However, if your disability is so bad that you are legally classified as disabled since you cannot function enough to hold down a job (i.e. keep losing jobs since you cannot function with others, even with medications you cannot concentrate/retain information (my biggest problem), the manic and/or depression phases are so bad that you are not effective at any kind of job) and only have an income such as social security disability and are just getting by, then you could be considered for a hardship case.

For example, student loans cannot be discharged unless they create an undue hardship for either the petitioner or his/her dependents. And basically, the current standing is that this is nearly impossible based on the new law.

Here's the link explaining it on the US Courts site:

http://www.uscourts.gov/bankruptcycourts/bankruptcybasics/chapter13.html#hardship

"Injury or illness that precludes employment sufficient to fund even a modified plan may serve as the basis for a hardship discharge. The hardship discharge is more limited than the discharge described above and does not apply to any debts that are nondischargeable in a chapter 7 case. 11 U.S.C."

I read about this in one of the Nolo books, I'll add anymore info about that this weekend.

I have bipolar disorder which greatly affects my memory & concentration; syringomyelia (basically a cyst in my spine); a couple herniated discs that make it difficult to sit or stand for any prolonger period of time; and sleep apnea which exacerbates the bipolar disorder (which will hopefully be minimized after I get a machine to help me breathe at night). My monthly medical expenses for copays for meds are $210; I have to finish paying my deductible ($500); I had a epidural steroid injection in my spine 3 weeks ago which ends up costing me something like $700 out of pocket since I hadn't qualified for the deductible yet; and I don't know how much this breathing machine will cost me each month. However, I am not legally disabled and on a disability income so I don't think I'd qualify for any kind of hardship case. Although I think/hope if I do a Ch 13, that I can pretty much eliminate my unsecured debts, concentrate on the secured ones, and hopefully work with the student loan company to minimize or postpone payments for 3 years for that priority unsecured debt. At least this is how I understand it based on a lot of reading on the web and otherwise.

I really like the Nolo book "The New Bankruptcy: Will It Work for You?" Two people work work for the bk court here recommended it to me. They all have books specifically for filing the Ch 7 and Ch 13 paperwork; however, they have not been updated for the new laws yet and the old ones are not available on their site. Yet, I went to eBay's half.com and got the last version for about $2.00 each and believe me, it was still extremely beneficial since lots of the forms are still very similar.