Jane Pauley

• Pauley was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2001, at around age 50. She has said the illness emerged after she was treated with steroids for chronic hives and later prescribed an antidepressant, which she understood to have triggered mood changes in someone with an underlying predisposition to bipolar disorder. [2]
• She disclosed the diagnosis publicly in her 2004 memoir Skywriting: A Life Out of the Blue. Pauley later said that speaking openly about the diagnosis was an easy decision for her, despite being offered the option of keeping it private. [6]

• Pauley has described experiencing depression before her bipolar diagnosis, including periods when she was sleeping for two or three hours during the day and felt unusually unproductive despite continuing to work. She later said that the depression was significant even though people around her did not realize how unwell she had become. [3]
• She also experienced hypomania after medication treatment. Pauley has said that she did not find the elevated state pleasurable and did not wish to experience it again. During the same period, concern about how closely she was identifying with suicidal thinking contributed to a three-week psychiatric hospitalization, although she has been clear that she was not herself planning suicide. [3]

• Pauley spent nearly three weeks in a psychiatric hospital after her diagnosis in 2001. She began taking lithium and has said that medication stabilized her mood. [4]
• She has remained consistent with medication and has emphasized the importance of sleep in preventing mood changes. In 2014, she said, “I take my meds every day. No holidays,” and described being particularly careful about disrupted sleep and changing time zones. [7]

• Pauley has said that she has not had a recurrence of bipolar symptoms since her diagnosis in 2001. She attributes staying well in part to taking medication consistently, protecting her sleep and managing stress carefully. [7]
• She has continued a long television career while managing the condition and has described mental-health advocacy itself as meaningful to her recovery, saying that speaking openly and supporting others has helped her continue to lead a productive life. [5]

• After disclosing her diagnosis, Pauley became a prominent spokesperson for mental health. She has said that she chose to speak publicly because her reputation for being unusually “normal” put her in a position to challenge assumptions about who can experience mental illness. [8]
• She has continued to discuss bipolar disorder in interviews and public appearances. Pauley has said that she prefers to focus less on stigma itself and more on practical messages about living with the condition, including taking medication consistently. [7]

“I take my meds every day. No holidays.”

— Jane Pauley [7]