My name is Sophie, I’m a research scientist from Mansfield, England and I live with bipolar (type II) disorder. I decided to start speaking out about mental health after realising how little my condition was understood in some professional circles. When I first got diagnosed I thought my career was over; I didn’t see anyone else ‘like me’ represented in my field and didn’t know how to make mood management work around my job. I decided that visibility was important so I chose to open up about my mental health. Opening up has helped me understand myself, my condition, and I hope that it will also help others understand that they’re not alone.