Devika Bhushan

• Bhushan has said that her illness began with severe depression in 2009, before her second year of medical school. She had no known history of mania or hypomania, so doctors first diagnosed unipolar depression. [2][1]
• For more than two years, she tried several antidepressant treatments. The antidepressants increasingly left her feeling activated. She later experienced what she described at the time as her first “manic” episode. Doctors then recognized a bipolar-spectrum illness and prescribed mood stabilizers. [2][1]
• Bhushan spoke publicly about having bipolar disorder in a 2022 Los Angeles Times essay. At the time, she was California’s Acting Surgeon General. [1]
• A 2025 conference abstract from the International Society for Bipolar Disorders identifies her diagnosis as bipolar II disorder. [5]

• Bhushan has described serious depression during medical school. She had suicidal thoughts and at times doubted that she would ever feel like herself again. [1]
• She has also said that antidepressants activated her mood before doctors recognized the bipolar-spectrum illness. During medical training, she learned that disrupted sleep could raise her risk of another episode. [2][1]

• Doctors moved Bhushan from antidepressants alone to mood stabilizers after they recognized a bipolar-spectrum illness. She also relies on therapy and close support. [2][1]
• She has described the support of her partner as important. She has said that NAMI helped him better understand bipolar disorder and how to support her. [2]
• During pregnancy and after childbirth, she worked with her psychiatrist and family to protect her sleep. She has said that she remained well through that period. [6][1]

• Bhushan has described bipolar disorder as a long-term illness that can be managed. She has written about moving from severe illness to years of good health. [1]
• She continued working in medicine and public health. She served as California’s Acting Surgeon General and later took on broader mental-health advocacy work. [3]

• Much of Bhushan's public work aims to reduce stigma around serious mental illness. [4]
• She has challenged stereotypes that people with bipolar disorder are untrustworthy, violent or unpredictable. [4]
• She has encouraged people who feel comfortable to share their own experiences. She has said that she shares her story partly to show people with severe illness that recovery and a fulfilling life remain possible. [1]

“With effective treatment, a full life and our dreams are all within reach.”

— Devika Bhushan [1]