John Budin

• Budin has publicly identified himself as having bipolar disorder. He has said that he knew he had the condition for years but kept it hidden because he feared being judged personally and professionally, including concern that disclosure could affect his medical licence or how colleagues viewed him. [2][1]
• After he had accepted the diagnosis and become clinically stable, Budin chose to disclose it publicly at an International Conference on Bipolar Disorders, opening his presentation by identifying himself as both a psychiatrist and a psychiatric patient with bipolar disorder. [3]

• Budin has said that he lived with bipolar disorder for about 20 years before seeking treatment. He described the condition as initially mild but gradually becoming more frequent and intense until he could no longer contain its effects on his personal life. [1]
• During one manic episode, Budin was sexually assaulted. He has said that by that point his behaviour and illness were putting his health and safety at risk and affecting relationships with family, friends and his husband. The experience contributed to his realization that his life had become unmanageable and that he needed treatment. [1]

• Budin eventually sought treatment from a psychiatrist after recognizing that his illness had become unmanageable. He has described becoming a patient himself as one of the most humbling parts of his experience and has said that he was initially reluctant to accept treatment. [1]
• He later came to view treatment very differently. Budin has said that he is grateful for it and is highly consistent about both medication and psychiatric follow-up, saying that he does not miss doses or appointments. [1]

• Budin has described eventually reaching a place of greater stability and acceptance while living with bipolar disorder. [5][1]
• He has also said that disclosing his diagnosis did not produce the professional consequences he had feared. Instead, he described colleagues, friends and family as largely supportive, and said that being more open about bipolar disorder became personally freeing. [1]

• Budin has focused much of his advocacy on reducing stigma around mental illness, particularly within medicine. He has said that one reason he disclosed his diagnosis publicly was to encourage discussion about physician mental health and to make it easier for other clinicians to seek help without shame. [1][3]
• Budin has also argued that responsibility for changing attitudes should not fall only on people with mental illness. He has said that doctors and others without mental-health conditions can help make it easier for people to share their experiences and feel less alone. [1][3]

“Nothing is more powerful and freeing than being authentic to who you are.”

— John Budin [1]