Rosie Viva used to travel the world as a fashion model. It wasn’t until being arrested after a psychotic episode in Stansted Airport that she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
On the week of World Bipolar Day, Rosie joins Emilie on Well Enough to ask: what does the world still get wrong about bipolar, especially for women.
Rosie’s book ‘Completely Normal and Totally Fine’ charts her journey with bipolar. She documents mania, depression and recovery all whilst navigating relationships, jobs and her new identity. In today’s episode, she also shares her one rule for drinking on medication, how to manage hypomania without losing the magic, and why thinking she was Susan Boyle for a week taught her family not to challenge delusions.
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Useful links:
Rosie’s book ‘Completely Normal and Totally Fine’
‘Maybe its bipolar?’ test from Bipolar UK
Timecodes:
00:00 What Is Bipolar Disorder? Breaking Down the Basics
02:46 Type 1 vs Type 2 Bipolar: Understanding the Difference
05:21 Misdiagnosis: When Doctors Miss Bipolar in Women
08:16 The Psychotic Episode That Changed Everything
10:11 Religious Delusions & Mania: My Breaking Point
11:26 Arrested at Stansted Airport: The Baggage Drop Incident
13:01 The Shame Around Mental Illness Nobody Talks About
15:16 Getting the Right Medication: Why It Takes Time
17:26 When Therapy Goes Wrong: My NHS Experience
20:01 Managing Hypermania: Practical Tools That Work
22:16 Navigating Friendships with Bipolar Disorder
24:51 PMDD & Bipolar: The Hidden Connection for Women
27:31 Can Women with Bipolar Be Stable? The Answer Is Yes
29:56 How to Know If You Have Bipolar: First Steps
32:31 Making My Channel 4 Documentary: Telling My Story
35:26 Is My Madness Actually Magic? Reframing Bipolar
38:01 The Euphoria of Hypermania: Like Astronauts in Space
39:21 Drinking with Bipolar: My One Simple Rule
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