‘Did I waste 15 years of my life?’ Investigating my bipolar diagnosis
It's estimated that 5 to 10 million Americans have bipolar disorder. But what do we really know about the condition?
Listen 34:30
After entering college in the late 90s, Abigail Kafka received a serious diagnosis of bipolar disorder. But after one therapy session during the pandemic, she realized that diagnosis had been wrong all along. (Courtesy of Abigail Kafka)
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Find our full episode on diagnosing bipolar disorder here.
In 1999, Abigail Kafka was having a tough time adjusting to college. She was unhappy, and her personal life wasn’t going well. During this stressful period, she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Shortly after that, she received a diagnosis that seemed to explain all her troubles: bipolar disorder.
For the next 15 years, Abigail received treatment including psychiatric medications for bipolar disorder. Her condition did not improve, and she was designated disabled by the State of California. But around 10 years ago, Abigail made some radical changes in her life. And the result caused her to question everything she thought she knew about her past and her condition.
It’s estimated that 5 to 10 million Americans have bipolar disorder. But what do we really know about it? Join Abigail along with reporter and producer Justin Kramon as they explore this common and life-altering mental health condition. Sound design by Boen Wang. Listen to the story above.
They investigate Abigail’s past, what led to an explosion of bipolar diagnoses in the 1990s, the debate among experts on the topic of overdiagnosis, and the current research on bipolar disorder with help from doctors:
- Claudia Baldassano, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and the Director of Bipolar Outpatient Resident Teaching Clinic at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
- Nassir Ghaemi, Professor of Psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine and the Director of the Mood Disorder Program and the Psychopharmacology Consultation Clinic at Tufts Medical Center. Ghaemi is the author of “A First-Rate Madness: Uncovering the Links Between Leadership and Mental Illness.”
- David Miklowitz, Professor of Psychiatry at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and author of “Living Well with Bipolar Disorder: Practical Strategies for Improving Your Daily Life.”
- Kristin Raj, Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Chief of the Bipolar Disorders Clinic at Stanford University School of Medicine.
- Mark Rego, Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine and author of Frontal Fatigue: The Impact of Modern Life and Technology on Mental Illness.
- Mark Zimmerman, Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Director of the Adult Partial Hospital Program and outpatient psychiatry at Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals.
Abigail Kafka is a writer living in Berlin who is working on a memoir.
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