we have several friends who are bipolar and they do not steal. there is no relationship to her stealing to the bipolar disorders. she just steals. more concerning would be a possible addiction to (narcotic) pain medication. hide your pills. keep them out of your medicine cabinet where she is likely snooping when using the bathroom. put the pain medication bottle in there (no pills) with some m&ms and note asking her to get some help. in the manic phase the person can tend to act impulsively/partake in unpremeditated risky behavior that they normally would not so therefore its possible that cheating and stealing are something that occur when she is in the manic swing of it. but it is no excuse to lie/cheat/steal. there are some people who are bipolar but would never cheat or steal but they would drive their car recklessly etc. call her doctor and express the things that are going on i am sure he/she would be a good help. bipolar disorder is about moods. lying cheating stealing is about their character. she has probably done it for so long that her bi polar disorder is a good excuse to get her out of tough situations like this one. no bi-polar disorder doesn't directly cause her to steal meds but the illness can cause her to not care that she is doing this activity. she needs to be under better care for her illness and taking her medication. so many people who suffer mental illnesses don't always take their medications. there are those who abuse even their own medications. she does need help. put your medications away!
my aunt steals pain killers and she is bipolar. does bipolar cause her to steal? . she is in her mid to late fourties. she claims she dosent steal pain killers but we have all seen her do it. now her sister claims that she steals the pain killers due to her being bipolar. i am wondering if this is in fact true or that her sister is just denying it to herself. which in turn is not able to get her the help she needs.