Despite all the extra investment in mental health provision, delays to diagnosis for bipolar are likely going up.

One key subgroup is people living with bipolar, who i understand, have historically been excluded from many NHS Talking Therapy programmes.

Having to constantly second guess yourself is a constant stress for people living with bipolar.

When you're in a good stable and happy period, there's always that feeling of 'this feels really nice...how long will it last?' and looking out for symptoms reaaalllyyyyy sucks.

A massive thank you to rotarysurbiton for getting our Mood Scale and message of bipolar hope out to the good people of Surbiton. Normalising the conversation around bipolar is crucial to tackling stigma and getting diagnosis rates up.

Well said Dr Sarah Hughes . Would Mind join our call for the NHS to commit to getting the average delay to diagnosis for bipolar down to 5 years within 5 years? It will reduce both suicides and pressure on overstretched mental health services.

Thank you Wendy Burn CBE (She/her) for sharing this. Medication works for many many people. There also needs to be a focus on tackling their side effects through regular medication reviews and supporting better access to regular exercise and healthier diets.

The use of mood stabilizers in bipolar disorder was significantly associated with decreased risks of all-cause mortality. Among the individual mood stabilizers, lithium was associated with the lowest risks of all-cause mortality. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.111…

Universal mental health provision is tempting but its better to target resources at those most at need and tailor it to the needs and aspirations of the patient.

One week till A Night with Me, Myself & Bipolar Brenda make its London debut!

Get yourself a ticket and join the Bipolar Express! Etcetera Theatre

In aid of #WorldMentalHealthDay2023
In association with Bipolar UK
Sonia Allam Jason Manford LondonPubTheatres Daniel Bird

Can you spare 20-minutes to help researchers? If so, take this online questionnaire to help the team at Oxford University understand how best to communicate health-related information. Simply click on the link below >>

Really looking forward to talking on 'Incorporating medical humanities with health sciences - am I a scientist?'
Exploring the multiple crossovers between humanities and health sciences & the richness of interdisciplinary work

Well put Andy Bell

With HS2 scrapped and billions now available for infrastructure elsewhere, can I make a plea for transforming inpatient care for people with severe mental illnesses. The nation is facing a mental health crisis not connectivity crisis.

Its disappointing to see a leading scientist like Sir Patrick Vallance using bipolar as a pejorative term. It both stigmatises people with the condition and minimises its seriousness.
theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/o…

As my Dad used to say “When you see Penshaw Monument you know you’re nearly home”.

It's amazing to think this was built 170 years ago as part of a branch line for a small subregional railway without any public subsidy. Now we know how the Anglo saxons felt when they saw Hadrian's Roman Wall.

An important reminder on the importance of tackling bipolar stigma.

Reminder.