Terri Cheney

• Cheney has said that severe mood symptoms began in childhood. At 34, she was initially diagnosed with major depression. While receiving electroconvulsive therapy for severe depression, she switched into severe mania, which helped doctors recognize that she had bipolar disorder. [1]
• For much of her life, Cheney hid her bipolar disorder from friends, family and colleagues. She later began writing and speaking openly about it. [4]

• Cheney has described severe depression that can leave her barely able to get out of bed or do everyday things. During mania, she has experienced much more energy and poor judgment. In one severe manic episode, she spent her savings impulsively. [1]
• She has described hypomania as a milder state in which she feels energetic and creative while still having better judgment than during mania. She has also written about mixed episodes, when symptoms of depression occur alongside increased energy and agitation. [2]
• She has said that she is a rapid cycler, meaning her mood can shift between depression and mania over short periods of time. [3]
• She has also written and spoken openly about suicide attempts beginning in childhood and about later periods of severe suicidal depression. [2][1]

• Cheney has been treated with medication and psychotherapy for many years. She has said that medication has helped her tremendously and that therapy has been essential to her recovery. She also uses mindfulness and has said that staying sober and getting enough sleep are important for managing her bipolar disorder. [1]
• She has also received electroconvulsive therapy for severe depression. [1]

• Cheney has said that treatment has made her mood episodes less extreme. She still has some periods of depressed mood. [3]
• In an American Psychological Association conversation, she said that she was doing very well while still managing a chronic illness. [1]

• Cheney now writes and speaks openly about experiences she once kept hidden. Her work aims in part to reduce shame and stigma around bipolar disorder. [7]
• She has described disclosure as one of her most powerful tools against the shame associated with mental illness. [5][4]

“The disease thrives on shame.”

— Terri Cheney [4]