#179 -What 10 Years of Bipolar Misdiagnosis Actually Does to You#179 -What 10 Years of Bipolar Misdiagnosis Actually Does to You
The Dr. Joy Kong Podcast
Actress Alessandra Torasani shares how a decade of bipolar misdiagnosis shaped her life, from teenage mania and a near-fatal suicide attempt to finally getting the right diagnosis. She and Dr. Joy Kong talk about practical tools, motherhood, advocacy and what can help someone who suspects their emotional highs and lows are more than just personality.
47:51•21 Apr 2026
Ten Years Misdiagnosed: Alessandra Torasani on Bipolar, Mania and Finding Stability
Episode Overview
- Misdiagnosed bipolar can be worsened by antidepressants, leading to higher highs, lower lows and increased suicide risk.
- Keeping a daily record of moods, sleep, behaviour, food and triggers helps doctors see the whole picture instead of just crisis moments.
- Non-drug strategies such as meditation, hypnobirthing techniques, acupuncture and breathwork can support stability, especially in pregnancy.
- Movement through dance, yoga and simple walks can change sleep, cravings and emotional regulation in powerful ways.
- Openly sharing mental health experiences, as Alessandra does with NAMI and her podcast, can help others feel less alone and more willing to seek help.
“I was never depressed. It was more just, oh, I could stay up for three days straight and just drive a car for days on end.”
How do people cope with the challenges of staying sober, sane, and stable when their own brain chemistry keeps changing the rules? This candid conversation between Dr. Joy Kong and actress–podcaster Alessandra Torasani zooms in on what a decade of bipolar misdiagnosis really looks like from the inside.
You’ll hear Alessandra describe a childhood shaped by perfectionism, strange threshold phobias, and later, teenage years where “I could stay up for three days straight and just drive a car for days on end” was brushed off as puberty. Antidepressants made things far worse, fuelling dangerous manic episodes and a terrifying rage-driving suicide attempt before anyone said the words "bipolar disorder".
This episode is especially valuable for people interested in mental health, those living with mood swings or misdiagnosis, and parents wondering how to support their kids better. Dr. Kong brings 11 years of psychiatric expertise, while Alessandra adds raw lived experience, including more than three years medication-free through pregnancy and breastfeeding under close medical supervision.
They talk through practical tools that helped Alessandra stabilise: transcendental meditation, hypnobirthing techniques, acupuncture, understanding hormonal cycles, clean vegetarian eating, and, eventually, returning to movement through ballet and yoga. She stresses the power of tracking symptoms: moods, sleep, food, and triggers, then taking that full picture to a qualified professional instead of rushing straight to a prescription.
There’s also an important reality check around glamorising bipolar as a “creative superpower” and some stark reflections on how easily kids are put on medication.
The chat closes with hope: advocacy through Alessandra’s work with NAMI, honest conversations about postpartum anxiety and OCD, and her mission to be “a trusted space where they feel they can open up and be themselves.” If you’ve ever wondered whether your highs are just personality or something more, this episode might be the nudge to start asking better questions about your own mental health story.
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