#179 -What 10 Years of Bipolar Misdiagnosis Actually Does to You

About this episode

Alessandra Torresani discusses her decade-long misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder and shares insights on managing the condition without medication.

She wasn't depressed. She was manic. And her doctor put her on antidepressants anyway. Alessandra Torresani — actress (Caprica, The Big Bang Theory, American Horror Story) and NAMI ambassador — spent over a decade misdiagnosed before learning she had Bipolar I Disorder. In this episode, she joins me to unpack what that decade cost her, how she got stable, and what she wishes every patient knew before walking into a psychiatrist's office. Alessandra brings firsthand experience managing Bipolar I Disorder, including more than three years off all psychiatric medication through pregnancy and breastfeeding. Drawing on my 11 years of clinical psychiatry before moving into regenerative medicine, we cover antidepressant-induced mania and its link to suicidal ideation, why bipolar disorder is routinely misdiagnosed as ADHD, and the symptom-tracking method that shortens the path to an accurate diagnosis. Alessandra walks through the non-pharmaceutical tools that kept her stable through pregnancy: transcendental meditation, breathwork, hypnobirthing, menstrual cycle tracking, clean nutrition, and ballet. I share emerging research on stem cell therapy for alcohol addiction, including animal…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Joy Kong

Guest: Alessandra Torresani

Topics covered

• bipolar disorder
• misdiagnosis
• mental health
• psychiatry
• non-pharmaceutical treatments
• medication management

Keywords

• bipolar I disorder
• antidepressants
• mania
• psychiatrist
• symptom tracking
• transcendental meditation
• breathwork
• stem cell therapy
• addiction

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NAMI

Books & works: Caprica, The Big Bang Theory, American Horror Story

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