At a time when people are beginning to talk more openly about mental health, one man has written a personal account of his struggle with mania and paranoia.

Arnold Thomas Fanning is the author of Mind on Fire: A Memoir of Madness and Recovery.

He admits that choosing to use the word madness "might be seen as provocative, but I was very unwell so I didn't shirk using that world."

He was 29 when he was first hospitalised for bipolar disorder. He says he had been "profoundly depressed" during his twenties following the death of his mother and had sought treatment through therapy.

It didn't work, so he was prescribed antidepressants. This also didn't help, as people with bipolar disorder need to be treated with mood stabilisers rather than antidepressants.

He now says he feels able to talk about his illness after feeling ashamed for a long time: "For so many years my experiences were marked by shame, and now I'm actually confident enough to talk about it."

"We're made to feel ashamed by society for so many things. You see it reflected in people's eyes when you say, 'I have bipolar disorder.'"

To catch the full chat press the play button on the image on the top of the screen