A Comedian Lost His Home, His Family, and His Business After a Manic Episode — and He’s Far from Alone

In 2023, Mike Devore was touring the West Coast as a comedian. He was also living with bipolar disorder, and the financial consequences of a manic episode were about to catch up with him. The stress of supporting his family while his business faltered triggered an episode that cost him everything — his home, his family, and his stability.

“It was a whirlwind of chaos,” Devore told KING5 News. “I was under a lot of stress being the primary person in the family. My business wasn’t doing well. Money was an issue.”

He ended up sleeping in a shelter. Eventually he found his way to Everett Recovery Cafe in Snohomish County, Washington, which provides support groups, coaching, and resources for people dealing with addiction, trauma, and mental health crises. Devore now works as a crisis responder, helping others navigate the same wreckage he once faced.

The Financial Toll of Mania

Devore’s story illustrates one of bipolar disorder’s most devastating and least discussed consequences: financial ruin. Excessive spending is included in the diagnostic criteria for mania, yet research from the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute has found surprisingly little systematic study of how it plays out in real lives.

What research does exist paints a stark picture. An Australian study found that over 70 percent of patients with bipolar II reported spending large amounts of money during hypomanic episodes. The consequences compound: credit card debt, damaged credit scores, inability to qualify for housing, job loss from impaired functioning during episodes, and the interpersonal fallout of financial decisions that partners and family members didn’t agree to.

Researchers have documented a vicious cycle: overspending during mania leads to guilt and anxiety, which worsens depression, which leads to comfort spending, which deepens the debt. Poor mental health drives compulsive buying, while financial worry increases stress — a feedback loop with no obvious exit.

A System Under Strain

The timing of Devore’s story is significant. The Recovery Cafe that helped him rebuild is now facing a $500,000 cut in federal funding, part of broader reductions that have eliminated $160 million in mental health and substance use grants in Washington state alone.

Nearly 60 percent of Americans report feeling anxious about money, according to the American Psychiatric Association, and the organizations that serve people at the intersection of financial crisis and mental illness are shrinking.

“Addiction, depression, suicide — all of these problems are on the rise and we have a decrease in funding at places proven to make an impact,” said Kyle Roscoe, the cafe’s executive director.

A note from Liam Ronan: I know what it’s like to look at your bank account after a manic episode and realize you’ve done damage that will take years to undo. The spending feels completely rational in the moment. It never is. If you’re living with bipolar disorder, building financial safeguards during stable periods isn’t optional — it’s survival planning.

See recent or related posts:
• The Financial Wreckage of Mania — and Tools That Can Prevent It
• Practical Strategies for Managing Hypomania and Mania
• How to Build a Mania Action Plan Before You Need One
• Signs and Symptoms of Mania
• Resources I Wish I’d Known About Before My First Manic Episode