'I was the friend everyone wanted to hang out with. But my "fun" personality was actually a symptom.'

When Missy left the army, where she experienced a traumatic assault, her world turned upside down.

"I just couldn't understand why things were hard for me. I thought it was just the re-adaptation into civilian life," she told Mamamia.

After an attempt to take her own life, Missy sought medical help.

"I knew there was something seriously wrong," she said. "The doctor thought I had depression. So they put me on an antidepressant, which actually exasperated my symptoms. And the next month, I got worse and worse and worse."

She became impulsive to a detrimental degree.

"I went out and bought a $30,000 car when I already had a car. Stupid decision," she said. "I got myself into a lot of financial debt, overspending, buying things I didn't need because I just got the rush out of buying things."

Then there was the "excessive drinking, drug use, and promiscuity".

"I wouldn't sleep for five or six days," she added.

Watch: Everything you need to know about bipolar disorder. Post continues after video.

During this time, Missy was holding down a full-time job in a senior management position.

"Being high functioning, it made it easier for me to hide, and not know there was a problem. Other people didn't necessarily know what was going on with me."

Missy recalled having "a lot of delusional thinking" and "delusions of grandeur".

"I'd think that I could do anything and everything. My mind was just going a mile a minute."

It was "fun but dangerous".

"You're willing to try anything, do anything, you've got copious amounts of energy, nothing is too hard. You can solve the world's problems," she explained.

"Friends loved spending time with me, because I was up for anything and everything. I was a risk-taker. And when you don't know that it's a result of a mental illness, it's fun. A lot of the people in my life then are not in my life now."

But the elation would soon wane, and Missy's mood would manifest into "severe paranoia".

"I remember having this one particularly bad episode where I thought there was someone outside my house watching me, and I stayed up all night, checking every single window for hours and hours on end, thinking there was someone out the front waiting," Missy said.

"It's exhausting, and it's scary, because in the moment, obviously you think it's true. Over time, you know it's not, but you can't stop yourself from doing it."

Along with paranoia, Missy would experience a "lack of personal hygiene, loss of appetite, confusion, and crying."

"And a lot of shame and embarrassment over things I might have done," she said. "Especially with the impulsivity, I was quite promiscuous, and the drug abuse and the partying and stuff like that."

Eventually, Missy sought out a psychologist, who referred her to a psychiatrist where she was diagnosed with bipolar type one.

"Bipolar disorder is an illness where people experience episodes of both depression and mania," Dr Rahul Khanna, SANE's Clinical Director, told Mamamia.

"People are much more often aware of depressive episodes, which involves persistent sadness or low mood, loss of interest in things they enjoyed, along with changes in energy, sleep, appetite and concentration. 

"Though an oversimplification, mania can be seen as the other side of that coin. During manic episodes, people can have really 'elevated' moods. Early in the episode, this can feel pleasant with increased energy and decreased need for sleep."

Dr Khanna added that, in a manic episode, people can become "restless and agitated, have racing thoughts, struggle to stop talking or develop distorted and often grandiose thoughts.

"Impulsive or reckless behaviour is also common, and people can spend vast amounts of money, have risky relationships or use social media in ways that damage their reputation.

"Some people experience 'hypomanic' episodes, where they have fewer symptoms and the episode are shorter, lasting 4 days or less. If a person only has hypomanic episodes, this is termed 'bipolar type 2'."

Missy stresses that bipolar is not purely a "mood change".

"There's a lot of reference to, 'Oh my god, the weather can't make its mind up. It's so bipolar', and it's so unbelievably offensive, because one, bipolar is a word related to a psychiatric condition, and two, it really minimises the chaos and destruction of this illness."

Those diagnosed with bipolar also face stigma.

"Whilst we've made some great strides in mental health awareness and acceptance, bipolar disorder is still misunderstood and stigmatised in terms of how those living with this diagnosis are viewed and treated by others," SANE CEO Rachel Green told us.

"Negative or inaccurate perceptions of bipolar symptoms can mean people who disclose their condition experience discrimination when trying to access employment, housing and even healthcare. 

"The best way to combat mental health stigma is to encourage people around you to listen to those with lived experience and educate yourself on the realities of life with bipolar disorder."

Following her diagnosis, Missy was prescribed various types of medication, including "a mix of mood stabilisers, antipsychotics, and anti-anxiety medication".

"I was taking 22 different pills a day. It was meant to make me well and be able to live a functioning life."

There are many "evidence-based treatments and other techniques to manage symptoms and impacts of a bipolar diagnosis," said Green.

"These include several medications, psychotherapy approaches like CBT as well as lifestyle and community support. Understanding your illness, adopting techniques that minimise triggers, stress-reduction techniques etc all reduce the risk of episodes."

For six years, Missy never missed a pill. Until, one day, she ended up in hospital with lithium poisoning.

"I nearly died from that; I was very, very close to death. I had blood lithium poisoning, which is rare, but it happens," she said.

This caused "some really severe neurological damage", said Missy.

"I had blurred vision, slurred speech, I had a lot of muscle weakness, so I was struggling to walk."

Missy has now recovered, but has developed hyperthyroidism as a result.

During her time in the hospital, Missy wasn't taking her medications and didn't experience any manic episodes. She asked the doctor if she could continue on this path when she was discharged.

"They said, 'Look, if your GP provides support and is okay with it, then 100 per cent, you've done really well."

Missy hasn't taken any medication since. That was in 2014.

"As a result of getting my physical health back, I was taking control of my mental health. And being able to do the things that I enjoyed again that made me happy," she said.

Now 46, Missy has been "well" — meaning she hasn't had a manic episode — in over 10 years and she is "living a life [she] never dreamed possible".

"When I was diagnosed, they told me, basically, my life was over. They said, you're going to struggle constantly, you're going to have to take medication for the rest of your life.

"You're not going to be able to do this, you're not going to do that. It was very doom and gloom, and that's why it was very easy for me to just sit in that mindset, and think 'I've got this illness, and this is why I am the way I am'. But that's not the case. And I'm very much proof of that."

You can read more about Missy here, and more about SANE here.

Feature Image: Instagram/@missyrobinson_

*Always consult a medical professional before stopping or changing any medication.

If you or anyone you know needs to speak with an expert, please contact your GP or in Australia, contact Lifeline (13 11 14), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) or Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636), all of which provide trained counsellors you can talk with 24/7.