Renaud Maigne

• Maigne has publicly identified himself as living with bipolar disorder. He has said that he experienced years of unexplained mood changes before receiving a diagnosis from a psychiatrist in 2016, following what he describes as 16 years of diagnostic uncertainty. [4][1]
• He later began speaking publicly about his experience and founded Bipolarité France, drawing in part on his own long path to diagnosis. [6]

• Maigne has described alternating periods of markedly elevated and depressed mood beginning in early adulthood. He said his “up” phases could last two to three weeks and leave him feeling “all-powerful,” while his “down” phases could last as long as two months and leave him without interest or motivation. [4]
• He has said that these shifts affected both his personal and professional life during the many years before he received a diagnosis. [5]

• Maigne has said that it took several years after his diagnosis to find a treatment that worked well for him. He has described bipolar treatment as requiring careful adjustment over time rather than a simple or immediate solution. [4]
• He has also identified psychoeducation, meditation and learning to recognize early warning signs as important parts of managing the condition and reducing the risk of relapse. [1]

• Maigne has said that he is doing “much better” and has learned over time to live with bipolar disorder. He does not describe himself as simply “stable,” preferring to view euthymia—a mood without marked highs or lows—as something he continually works toward. [1]

• Maigne founded Bipolarité France in 2018, drawing on his own experience of a prolonged path to diagnosis and conversations about how people with lived experience could support other patients. Through the organization, he has focused on earlier diagnosis, patient education, self-management and greater involvement of people with lived experience in their own care. [6][1]
• He has also worked to strengthen patient representation beyond France. Maigne serves as Communication & Events Delegate for the European Network for Bipolar, which brings together bipolar organizations across Europe around advocacy, research and patient rights. [7]

« Être acteur de sa pathologie et auteur de sa vie. »

— Renaud Maigne [1]