Arlene Bailey is a country and folk music singer, a native of Co Kildare and an Aware Lived Experience Ambassador.
On a cool spring day on the banks of the Grand Canal in Naas, she shares her experience of living with Bipolar II Disorder, which is a mental health condition.
“For me, it tends to be extreme fluctuations of my mood,” she says.
“There are times, obviously, where I’d feel kind of level and stable, shall we say, but when I’m depressed, I’m very, very low and when I’m hypomanic … I could be up washing the walls at four in the morning.
“So the energy levels are vastly different from mood to mood.”
These days she would describe herself as “living well” with bipolar.
“It’s something that I’m managing, and I’m fairly much in control of,” she said.
But it took a long time for her to be correctly diagnosed with this complex mental health condition.
“I was diagnosed with depression in my 20s and I suppose bipolar disorder is a sneaky one because people will always seek help when or if they’re in a low mood, they won’t necessarily always notice the high or the elevated hypo or manic phases.
“In a lot of cases, and in my case, that went unnoticed.”
Another two decades passed before Ms Bailey was finally diagnosed with Bipolar II Disorder.
“You’re kind of banging your head against a wall because you’re not treating the full condition,” she said.
“It was a long time for me, I guess, not knowing what was going on with me, always knowing that there was something not quite right, but not knowing what it was.”
Arlene Bailey is a country and folk singer
Unfortunately, Ms Bailey is not alone.
Her experience of missing or failing to accurately recognise phases of her condition was echoed by a number of people who, alongside Ms Bailey, shared their stories of living with Bipolar with Aware for World Bipolar Day, which is today.
In his testimony, Liam Gildea wrote: “Like many people who later receive a bipolar diagnosis, it took years before the pattern of mood shifts began to make sense.
“For years I thought the highs were interpreted as productivity, energy or ambition. The lows were seen as burnout, stress, or simply part of life. What I did not understand at the time was that these fluctuations were part of Bipolar II disorder.”
According to another Aware Lived Experience Ambassador, Julie Reddan: “For years I was treated for depression until I was reassessed and bipolar disorder was suggested.
“On first hearing this, I was in denial until I was told what bipolar is and it was like everything just clicked,” she said.
“Getting a clear diagnosis can be challenging, taking on average up to 10 years,” according to Dr Susan Brannick, Clinical Director at Aware.
She said that a “correct diagnosis of both bipolar and the specific type of bipolar a person is experiencing is essential for successful intervention.”
‘Knowledge is power’
When Ms Bailey was diagnosed she said she experienced “a mixed bag” of emotions.
“Until I had all the facts, I thought this was kind of a scary sort of diagnosis,” she says.
But she came to see it was a positive turning point in her life.
“Knowledge is power, isn’t it, really? So if you know what you’re dealing with, you can get on the correct path and deal with the correct people.”
Last year, Ms Bailey took part in the mental health charity Aware’s free eight-week programme, called ‘Living Well with Bipolar’.
“I think the days of the stigma are slowly kind of passing and one of the things that I’ve done actively since my diagnosis is talk to people, speak out and encourage others to do so because we shouldn’t be embarrassed,” she says.
“It’s no different than having something wrong with your physical health” she adds.
“There’s help out there for you.
“It’s not always sunshine and roses, of course not, but I think that with the right help, anybody can look towards a better future.”