–    Nikita’s struggle with bipolar disorder
IN 2007, at 23, Nikita was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and has since battled stigma and discrimination –two powerful factors that can significantly negate the successes of recovery. In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Nikita spoke out about the rampant stigma and discrimination in Guyana, where, like in many other developing countries, a real understanding of mental health and neurological disorders is severely lacking.
“People treat me differently now. It is hard to understand, because these people who treat me differently are the same people I grew up around. My friends have left me and people are withdrawn. I can hear them talking about me when I pass….it has been almost a year now since I have been really ok, but sometimes I still get sad. There needs to be change, to help other people like me,” Nikita lamented.
The young woman agrees that the ignorance which informs the reactions of the general public has the dangerous potential to impact heavily on the progress of those coping with mental health problems.
Nikita recalls that her life was not different from the life of other youths her age.
She excelled at her Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams, with nine Grade Ones, and went on to secure 10 subjects at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE). The 23-year-old also benefited from a scholarship to India where she studied Social Work; and on her return, took up a job with Guyana’s National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS).
However, it was not long before her life took a drastic change.
Nikita said, “Being able to put a name to it made it better for me to cope…I had mood swings. Sometimes I felt bad and sometimes I felt good. It fluctuated. Sometimes I couldn’t sleep for days….a lot changed…then the doctors said it was bipolar disorder.
Bipolar disorder is also known as manic depression. It is a condition in which people go back and forth between periods of a very good or irritable mood, and depression. The “mood swings” between mania and depression can be very quick. It affects men and women equally. It usually starts between ages 15 – 25. Medical experts concur that the exact cause is unknown, but it occurs more often in relatives of people with bipolar disorder.

THE TRIGGER
While there is no clear cause for the manic or depressive episodes, experts suggest that life changes may trigger a manic episode in people with bipolar disorder.
For Nikita the trigger was domestic violence.
“My father hit my mom. He had never hit her in front of me before,” she said.
Not long after Nikita left home and put her all into her new job at NAPS as a social worker.
“I was working a lot and not sleeping. This was not me…..I broke down eventually. The doctors said it was a nervous breakdown,” she told the Chronicle.
According to Nikita, after her diagnosis she had to leave her job since she was unable to work.
“During 2007, it was rough, I was not focused and sometimes I was thinking fast thoughts that would leave me confused. I was worried……it was a lot of things at once,” she said.

SUPPORT
The 23-year-old posits that with the onset of her troubles, her mother and her faith as a Hindu have been the pillars of strength that made coping with her illness possible.
“It has been difficult, but I have made it so far with the support of those close to me,” she said.
Mental health professionals contend that family members and caregivers are very important in the treatment of bipolar disorder.
“I am into my religion…..things like suicide, well it is not the way to end one’s life and my faith keeps me alive,” Nikita said.
The young woman explained that she has learnt to recognise her symptoms and with her supporters she is reminded to take care of herself – all of which has made coping easier.
“I know when something is going wrong. Sometimes it is me not getting enough sleep. My sleeping habits change and I get less sleep,” she noted.
Getting enough sleep is very important in bipolar disorder. A lack of sleep can trigger a manic episode.
Nikita said, “I know I have to take my medicines and if it gets worse, I go to my doctor.”

A CHANCE
The young woman maintains that in a society where stigma and discrimination are   rampant, the one thing that becomes most important is simply a chance to be able to exist and realise one’s potential.
“I think I can do more. I want to do more. I have bipolar disorder and I just need a chance,” Nikita laments.
Stigma and discrimination not only undermine the ability of people with mental health problems to cope with the routine of living, but also oftentimes exacerbates one’s illness.
“I was scared at first and did not want to acknowledge that I had a problem. I saw this as not normal, and not normal was not good. My brother, who is overseas, helped me understand that this happens to people and it is a normal thing to happen,” Nikita said.
There have been significant, positive changes in addressing stigma and discrimination towards people with mental illnesses in the last decade or so, but there is much more work to be done to ensure equity on the mental health scene.

“Right now, most of the attention is on things like HIV. There is nothing for mental health and there needs to be change….more needs to be done for people like me,” Nikita contends.