By the time Liam Gildea was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2013, the Mayo man had been living with it for nearly 20 years.

Since the age of 16, Liam had been enduring long periods of lows followed by periods of what he later discovered was hypomania.

During the lows, he would encounter moments of severe depression but during the hypomania, Liam felt unstoppable, barely able to sleep and going a mile a minute.

Speaking to Dermot and Dave, Liam detailed how those periods of hypomania impacted on his life from his personality to his phone bill.

After a long road to diagnosis and treatment, Liam has found himself in a much happier place and has dedicated his life to helping others through his world with Aware.

To mark World Bipolar Day, Liam shared his story and you can catch it in full by clicking play below

For more information on Aware’s services, to view the webinar ‘Living Well With Bipolar Disorder’ and videos of lived experience or to register for the Aware Relatives & Friends Programme, please visit aware.ie