YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

I was with my kids at the mall today when bam.... I went full on hypomanic. Fortunately I realized what was happening and I was (mostly) able to keep it together. Unfortunately not before I snapped at my son, almost picked a fight with someone walking too slow ahead of me, and texted complete nonsense to my wife....

But as soon as we got in the car and started driving away, it vanished. I was fine.

So I started thinking about what happened and I realized that the last time I went to that mall - the same thing happened. And the time before that. And pretty much every time I've been to that one particular mall. Other malls I'm fine. But that one (for those keeping score it's the Palisades Center Mall in Nyack NY) sets something off.

At least I know now not to go there anymore but is anyone else set off by one particular place? Or a mall?

meh! I did the same thing today!

This person and their family were just waddling down the Aldi aisle, as if... well, I don't know what they were thinking. I had very uncharitable thoughts.

While I don't have a son to snap at, I did snap at two cashiers, which is not "me" (or maybe it is more deeply and profoundly "me" than I want to admit). I will offer them amends the next time I see them.

I can't/won't speak for you, but maybe it is a matter of decompressing after a stressful week? The seasons getting colder? Rainy, depressing weather?

Maybe malls are dehumanizing and alienating.

I think you put your finger on it - malls are dehumanizing.

This particular mall is HUGE. A little (lot) overwhelming. And it gets huge crowds.

There are other malls nearby where I'm fine. I don't like going to malls anyway.

There is a Trader Joe's in Hillcrest, San Diego where I can not go to anymore. I went once at 5 p.m. on a Friday and everyone was on their cell phone, in a hurry, and it was a small space. I also had no idea where anything was. This spawned a full fledged panic attack.

I have this problem with our local wal-mart. We live in a small town so there are no options for shopping. Every time I get in there my heart races, I get paranoid, and I can't make any decisions.

Speaking of Trader Joe's - the only way I can survive a trip to the supermarket is if I have a detailed list. Otherwise I get confused and manic and come home with six cans of tuna and a tube of tomato paste.

Hello,

I have been so everything lately, depressed, anxious, angry, overwhelmed. Sometimes I'm just talking so much and feeling like so sour, and I feel crappy, irritated! So I guess that's hypomania, I feel so mad sometimes. I'd like to have a nice happy mania for once. My brain just races around the block. I have to avoid some places like malls sometimes too, but I'm slowly recognizing signs of my illness. I need help, I have a shrink but I think I need a different person to talk to. This podcast is helping a lot.

I can relate to this, though my story was slightly different. The day I got out of the hospital I went to the mall and spent 500 dollars I didn't have on things I most certainly didn't need and couldn't return (they were cosmetics, apparently even if you go back 10 minutes later you can't return them...ick...). I think if i had stayed away from the mall I probably would've been fine. Maybe dyed my hair a few different colors or something. But there is something about being in an area so full of materialistic "gotta have it now" mentality that totally steam rolled my psyche. Of course, I wasn't really stable when i got out, so that has something to do with it I'm sure. But yes. I try to avoid malls now. Feel like I can't trust myself to act responsibly when I'm in one. At least, when I'm in one by myself. So, I can sympathize. And I haven't been able to go back to that particular mall, since that spending spree. I feel too...memory overloaded when I'm there. So yeah. But good job getting yourself out of there without going ballistic.

I know that Trader Joe's in SD as it used to be our closest market. It's a cluster and a very scary place. Had a meltdown in the parking lot once about five years ago. Oddly, that place is also a trigger for me because it was the grocery store where I'd go after work to fuel my eating disordered behavior about 8 years ago. Carrot cake cupcakes, four pack. That's one of those places that must be avoided. There could be a sign coming into the lot that says, "caution: hypomania ahead".

Hi Meh

I Understand, I thought you were going to say something about spending too much. Malls are so bad though, my city is
especially bad. We are in winter and it has been so cold. but to the point we have numerous malls and shops so much
so that we have a huge mall that holds a waterpark, casino, and amusement park with roller coaster. The shops are
all in there too of course you could even spend the night at the hotel if you had money and shop and shop and it is very busy. all i can say is you did your best i don't have kids i have no idea how hard it would be to shop with children.
Be good to yourself Meh