You clearly never met anyone with BPD.

When you say BPD are you referring to borderline or bipolar? Because borderline is usually treated with therapy as the first-line treatment, while meds are definitely the norm and most effective for bipolar.

OPs description of his friend ruining his life by not taking his meds seems more like bipolar.

Eh, could be either really

But they are very different in their presentations

> Why not live eccentrically and take risks?

Maybe because there are dependents that needed that money for school, shelter, clothing, or food.

There was a story in the news recently about a guy who spontaneously gave away $200k by throwing bills out of his car window. Seemed like a feel-good story, at first. It turns out that he gave away his family's life-savings and they're now destitute.[1]

Money can absolutely be wasted and spent foolishly.

[1] https://www.nbc15.com/2023/04/13/man-throws-200k-cash-out-ca...

That was exactly what I’m talking about. What an interesting story and we have only heard it from a single perspective. Imagine the stories of the people it affected, I’m sure it made someone better off.

You are a fascist control freak.

You've been breaking the site guidelines repeatedly and badly. We ban accounts that do that, so please stop.

If you'd please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and stick to the rules when posting here, we'd appreciate it.

You can't just hand wave "you've been breaking the rules badly". I haven't done anything of the sort, you know me I can break the rules as I have in the past and stopped doing.

I am expressing myself and sometimes I use sarcasm or reductio ad absurdum and people don't understand. By time they have flagged and downvoted it is too late to edit and give context.

The end result is... they downvote me and no one reads it. The system works. I really don't know what you are talking about, but this wouldn't be my first misunderstanding. Thanks for listening but thread has turned into a waste of people meta-analyzing the comments and it's not worth our time. Life is too short.

My suggetion to you: whoever flagged my comment is wasting your time and should be punished for pearl clutching.

When you post "You are a fascist control freak", there's no need to explain how that's breaking the rules—it should be obvious to anyone who has read https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html. You could hardly have broken them more blatantly—for example, the one against name-calling.

If you say you meant something else by it, I believe you, but that sort of intent unfortunately doesn't communicate itself—you have to encode it explicitly in your comment or else it will land with most readers as a garden-variety attack. I realize it sucks to have to do that—it's a constraint on expression—but there are constraints we have to live with in order to have a large, open internet forum that doesn't destroy itself.

If you'd just calibrate your comments to be more substantive and thoughtful, things should be fine.

For the record, this isn't an attack or accusation, it is a thought experiment via reductio ad absurdum.

Good fellow, perhaps you've wandered in here from another time? Maybe in 2011 this would've been a level-headed take on this platform -- but not now! Spontaneity, eclecticism, originality? No no, we're all Big Corp workers here, and we must all fall in line into our predefined paths. Hackers and rogues, best ye not speak; lest the hounds of conformity catch a whiff.

Money should only be spent reasonably. That is, put into a retirement fund, into savings, and other well-regarded things. Your life must be lived reasonably -- else we will tell you otherwise!

I.e. many other people only see one "good" way to live a life; only one "good" form of morality; only one "good" mindset.

And as much as I've enjoyed the originality of your posts, may I recommend ceasing? Share these morsels of a not-yet-snuffed-out humanity with your intimates, rather than strangers who don't care about the consequences of their words on others?

He spent it on gorging himself on fried chicken delivery and electronics he piles around his horde room. His parents have to manage him to keep him from suicide. It's not a funny situation.

As tactless as it is: that is amusing.

I have been in similar places, even the whole “stronger than the disorder, I don't need to take my meds.”

There’s a way out if he wants to get out. But many times the will is weak: toxic shame for one’s actions in less rational times; a crippling lack of meaningful and intimate relationships; and a life devoid of any pleasure as you slink into self-induced hermitage.

My unasked for recommendation? If I were interested in his recovery I would throw a CPTSD skills book (BPD can be caused by and reinforce chronic trauma) and a box of nicotine gum his way (the gum will numb him out enough to start thinking clearly).

Nonetheless, it’s still an amusing story that has given me the giddies.