Something I am proud of in my journey:
I live with what psychiatry calls bipolar type 2, but I call it manic depression, and it’s a part of who I am. I wouldn’t change that. I see it as a spiritual gift, one that requires harnessing, grounding, and the support of others in ways that are “Mad-affirming”, honoring my identity, autonomy, and meaning-making.
This way of being has carried me through grief, especially after my mother’s death by suicide, and has helped me transform pain into purpose. Rather than viewing my experiences only as symptoms, I see them as part of a larger story: a non-binary, queer person navigating trauma, grief, injustice, and identity. My manic energy and deep depressions are bound up with my responses to transphobia, homophobia, systemic inequities, and moments of spiritual awakening, especially the ongoing connection I feel with my mother.
I am proud that I have turned these experiences into activism and scholarship. My work has taken me from psychiatric wards to speaking at the United Nations, collaborating with the World Health Organization, and pursuing a PhD mapping the global Mad movement*. I have been recognized as the National Mental Health Advocate of the Year and one of Deloitte’s Top 50 LGBTIQA+ Leaders.
Living with manic depression is not simply about management, it’s about honoring my experiences, connecting them to global Mad movements for justice, and celebrating the ways they connect me to others.
Message for those who are newly diagnosed:
If you’ve just been told you have bipolar disorder, know that your experiences are not only medical, they’re also personal, social, cultural, and political. Many of us in the Mad movement see madness not simply as illness, but as a valid way of being in the world, one that can hold creativity, insight, and resilience alongside difficulty.
You are stepping into a path others have walked before you, people who have turned lived experience into art, advocacy, scholarship, and solidarity. You are not alone. Communities exist that will affirm your story, challenge stigma, and stand with you against injustice.
It’s okay if you don’t yet know how to make sense of what’s happening. Over time, you may find language and connections that feel right for you, whether that’s through diagnosis, identity, spirituality, activism, or something else entirely.
Your voice matters. Your perspective matters. And you are part of a much bigger global conversation about what it means to live, feel, and think differently. There is no single “right” way to navigate this, but there are people and movements ready to walk beside you.
* The Mad movement is a grassroots movement led by people with lived experience of mental health challenges who challenge traditional psychiatric approaches, promote self-determination, and advocate for human rights and social justice in mental health.
