20-05-2025
My online shopping sprees were signs of a serious illness. Millions suffer like Rachel but it took doctors 20 years to diagnose her. The impact can be devastating - but there IS an answer
For Rachel Luby, a 37-year-old mental health nurse from Pitsea in Essex, every day is a balancing act.
Her bipolar disorder makes life a rollercoaster of barely predictable high, or 'hypomanic', episodes when she'll feel on top of the world and capable of anything for a few weeks. These are chased by devastating 'depressive' episodes during which she does not have the energy or impetus even to get out of bed.
