Carissa Belham was an energetic, fun loving 20 year old who had just completed her Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Business degree at the University of the Sunshine Coast, when she realised something was not quite right.

She had been continuing to experience depressive mood swings and aversion to activity.

“It was difficult for me to understand personally, while my friends and family struggled to see me in this state as I generally have an energetic, positive, and enthusiastic personality but it wasn’t until 2013 at the age of twenty-five when I was diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder," Carissa said.

“The diagnosis had been question marked for a few years by psychiatrists until it was confirmed after my first hospitalisation when I was made redundant from my first corporate job following a global restructure.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that stress was the trigger to that episode and then navigating my way through the diagnosis of bipolar was rather draining as it was filled with unclarity and uncertainty. I experienced depression first, and then – in my late 20s – mania.

“When I was diagnosed with bipolar, my family and I were able to research the definition, and we could relate to many of the symptoms. It was a relief to my family to have a benchmark and clarity on the diagnosis as we could move forward and get the correct treatment and assistance to sustain a more stable way of life,” Carissa said.

Carissa has recently documented her journey and has released a self-published arts health guide book called ‘A Girl With a Mexican Hat, One Shoe, and a Boogie Board’ which coincided with QLD Mental Health Week from 8-16 October 2022.

“I’m really proud to be able to launch my book at UniSC as my degree gave me the skills that I needed to put into practice to write and design this book. I also received incredible help from the UniSC Mentoring Program over the past nine months, in particular from business graduate Raphael McGowan, who gave me the guidance and expertise to get this book published.

“I’m now on a mission to share my bipolar journey so that I can give back and help other Australian families and the community deepen their awareness and understanding of life with a mental health diagnosis.

“I wrote this book sharing my lived experience while focusing on using art and creativity as an educational/self-help guide to assist in the recovery and maintenance of mental wellbeing. I want to inspire and teach others that recovery is possible and a life with mental health can still be a great one!” Carissa said.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that the bipolar condition affects 2.9% of Australians aged 16 and over. One in 50 Australians are diagnosed each year, and the condition often develops for the first time during teenage years or early adulthood with females more likely to be affected than men.

More information about Carissa’s book can be found on her Risso Creative webpage.