Belfast mum and local mental health advocate shares her lived experience of bipolar to help break stigma surrounding the illness.

This World Bipolar Day, we’re shining a light on the reality of living with bipolar and the vital role of peer support in helping people manage this challenging condition.

Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness that goes far beyond the everyday ups and downs most people experience. It causes extreme changes in mood and energy, from periods of deep depression to manic episodes that can sometimes lead to psychosis.

Around 1 in 50 people in the UK live with bipolar - that’s about 1.3 million people. Yet over half remain undiagnosed, and it takes an average of 9.5 years to receive the correct diagnosis. This delay can mean years of misdiagnosis, inappropriate treatment, and the mental and physical toll of the illness.

For Emma Jayne, a Belfast mum of four and passionate mental health advocate, the journey to diagnosis was a long and difficult one.

“I was in my early 20s, had just graduated from Queen’s University, and suddenly I couldn’t sleep. I was manic but had no insight into what was happening. My brother took me to the hospital on the back of his motorbike, and I was blessing people on the road because I thought I had magical powers. I was actually very unwell and was on reflection, in the middle of psychosis. I was hospitalised in a psychiatric hospital and given the diagnosis of bipolar.”

Since that day in 2005, Emma has faced the unpredictable nature of bipolar. The illness has brought periods of mania, psychosis, and deep depression that have touched every part of her life.

"People think bipolar is just being happy one minute and sad the next, but it’s so much more than that. It's a very episodic illness. Some days, getting out of bed is a struggle. And that can be hard, because I've got four children, so I always have to push myself. When I’m really depressed and I can’t function at all, my husband has to help me with everything. I withdraw from the world and don’t have the reserves to talk to anyone else.

If I'm not careful, I can go into mania, and then there’s a risk of psychosis and getting out of psychosis is very, very difficult. The recovery time is long."

Emma describes bipolar as deeply isolating. She’s lost relationships and spent many years hiding her illness out of fear of judgment. However, support from both her family and peer networks has been life-changing.

Today, Emma has turned her experience into a source of strength for others. She runs an online community to connect with people living with bipolar, volunteers with mental health charities, and has become a qualified mindfulness teacher.