Download What It Feels Like to Live with Bipolar Disorder

Date: October 28, 2009
Comp Specialist: adarga
What It Feels Like to Live
with Bipolar Disorder
Jane Pauley, interviewed by Patrick Perry
In this selection, broadcast journalist Jane Pauley talks about her
diagnosis of bipolar disorder at age 50 and how it has affected
her life. She also discusses how she deals with the disease and
some of the side effects of treatment. Jane Pauley is an Emmy
Award–winning journalist.
F
or more than three decades, Jane Pauley graced our homes,
a friendly face covering the events that shaped our lives.
Her wholesome beauty, subtle wit, and Midwestern charm
captured the hearts and admiration of millions of Americans
and earned the broadcaster fame, family, and fortune beyond
her wildest dreams.
While front and center on the world stage interviewing celebrities, royalty, and politicians, Pauley preferred the private
life, bypassing the glare of celebrity to embrace her family, including husband, cartoonist Garry Trudeau, and their three
children. In an industry that thrives on image, Pauley remained resilient, demonstrating humility and self-effacing humor rare in the primetime world of American media.
Then at age 50, Pauley was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, surprising herself, family, and colleagues alike. With courage and depth, the Emmy Award–winning journalist stepped
into the public arena to share her experiences with bipolar
disorder in a moving memoir, Skywriting: A Life Out of the
Blue.
“Truth arrives in microscopic increments, and when
enough has accumulated, in a moment of recognition, you
Patrick Perry, “Jane Pauley: Tackling the Stigma of Bipolar Disorder,” Saturday Evening
Post, vol. 279, no. 2, March/April 2007. © 2007 Saturday Evening Post Society. Reproduced by permission.
28
Edit session: 3126
Living with Bipolar Disorder
just know,” writes Pauley in her New York Times bestseller.
“You know because the truth fits.”
With characteristic candor and warmth, Jane Pauley spoke
with the Post about her journey of self-discovery, mentalhealth advocacy, and future plans.
Diagnosed at Age 50
Post: How common is a first diagnosis of bipolar disorder at
the age of 50?
Jane Pauley: Not common at all, but becoming more so. I
try not to confuse my experience having a mood disorder
with expertise, and this is an area of disagreement among
doctors, so I will tread cautiously. Bipolar disorder is known
to have a strong genetic component—so it’s likely that my
genes predisposed me to have a mood disorder—but until I
was treated with steroids for hives, it wasn’t “activated” or not
at a level that would have appeared outside the range of normal behavior. I had experienced low-grade depression before,
but never hypomania. For the purposes of diagnosis, the fact
that my first episode of hypomania was triggered by a drug
prescribed for the treatment of some other illness is significant, but the practical effect was that a doctor who knew me
as one of his “worried well” patients suddenly recognized
symptoms of a very serious illness.
Post: Some people with bipolar suffer wild and even dangerous flights of mania and even psychoses. Were you ever
manic?
Jane Pauley: Doctors have specific criteria regarding mania
and hypomania. I was never at the level of mania, though I
don’t know how close I was. I never suffered psychosis,
nor was I ever suicidal, but I was talking about a Dateline
story I’d done in January of ’01—just five months before I
was hospitalized—involving a teenage girl who tried to kill
herself. My doctor explained that suicide can be an impulsive
gesture—and the mere fact of talking about it was a danger
29
Date: October 28, 2009
Comp Specialist: adarga
Edit session: 3127