Mental Health
“I live with bipolar mood disorder – and I’m thriving”
Bipolar mood disorder is a chronic mental condition that results in extreme mood swings. Mariana Strais (55), who has struggled with bipolar since her teenage years, describes how she lives a successful, rewarding life despite her diagnosis.
Marianna Strais has struggled with mood swings, emotional dysregulation and low self-worth since she was 14. Her adolescence was tumultuous, chaotic and rebellious. After school, she studied teaching and married young because she believed she needed someone to take care of her. In the face of many challenges over the decades that have followed, she’s now a successful business owner, specialised exercise trainer, mental wellness coach, speaker, and counsellor.
When Marianna was 24 her GP diagnosed her with postnatal depression after the birth of her first child and put her onto antidepressants. By age 30, she had three daughters and was married to a man who, despite being a good provider, was emotionally unavailable. She thought about ending her marriage many times, she says, but knew she wouldn’t be able to support herself and the children on her own.
Diagnosis of bipolar mood disorder
At age 34, Marianna had her first manic episode. It started off with feeling agitated excitement, a sense of grandiosity, an inflated ego and a desire for risk. “I met a man at a coffee shop and believed he had been sent from God,” she recalls.
When she started to come down from her episode, she slid into a deep depression. Her husband found out about her affair and ended the marriage. After much humiliation and embarrassment, Marianna was riddled with guilt and self-loathing and felt suicidal.
“People with bipolar often destroy their lives as a result of their behaviour during manic episodes,” she explains. She went to see her GP and he referred her to a psychiatrist, who admitted her to a psychiatric hospital where she was diagnosed with bipolar mood disorder.
What’s the difference between bipolar type I and bipolar type II?
Bipolar type I: People diagnosed with bipolar I disorder may experience severe and potentially dangerous manic episodes. This condition was formerly known as manic depression.
Bipolar type II: Often thought of as a “milder” form of bipolar type I disorder, but it’s a separate diagnosis. Individuals with bipolar II disorder may go through longer periods of depression that can interfere significantly with their life.
Both conditions are treated and managed with a combination of medication and psychotherapy. Your healthcare professional may recommend occasional hospital admission if the disorder is significantly impairing your daily functioning or safety.
Treatment of bipolar mood disorder
Marianna was able to find a psychiatrist who recognised her as a person with the capacity to be high functioning. “It took a long time to find the correct combination of medication,” she says. Eventually, she found a medicine that worked for her, which she’s taken for the past 16 years. She also found a psychologist she could relate to and benefited from regular therapy for many years, learning about herself and the skills needed to manage her illness. “I slowly developed my sense of self-worth,” she says. I’m now aware when my mood starts to elevate too much. I become hyperactive, dysregulated, work overtime, and do not sleep well. I become anxious and overwhelmed.”
When she feels this way, she must force herself to slow down, sometimes by going for a walk or having a rest and if that does not work, she takes an anxiolytic, which is a drug used to reduce anxiety. Nowadays, she only sees her therapist when she has difficulty processing things in her life.
Helping others with mental health issues
Through her experience of living with bipolar, Marianna has learnt how to help other people. She’s a counsellor at her church and is a South African Depression and Anxiety support group leader. She is grateful for the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives. “It is a gift that I treasure, and it has made all the painful lessons worthwhile,” she says.
Mediclinic is prioritising mental wellbeing by making mental health services more accessible to the broader community. We have dedicated mental health units in Welkom, George, Newcastle, Pretoria, Legae, and Cape Town. Smaller in-hospital care options also exist within some of the acute facilities.