Joanne
Joanne
With an accurate diagnosis, my life has dignity
For as long as I can remember, I have been on a constant quest to understand myself—and the highs and lows of my energy levels and motivation.
At the age of 12, Joanne first visited a neurologist who prescribed antidepressants.
Her family did not understand what was happening, and they were reluctant for her to take medication. Living in Ecuador, mental health was not commonly discussed, which added to Joanne’s family’s confusion and concern.
My family was desperate and even resorted to a shaman because they thought I was possessed.
As she grew up, Joanne experienced crippling panic attacks. Over the course of eight years, she visited eight different psychiatrists. She even had a misdiagnosis that attributed the highs and lows she felt to a brain tumor.
“It changed my life.
It was as if they opened up my brain, took out a black cloud, and I could start to function.”
Joanne studied commercial engineering and at the age of 26, she became a product manager in an important multinational company where those who worked the hardest were rewarded.
During periods of mania, I was a machine. I had bursts of energy and could do three months’ worth of work in a week.
It was under these circumstances that Joanne experienced an episode of burnout. She was in a presentation and had a paralyzing seizure that left her unable to speak properly for three weeks. Joanne felt “damaged.” Each time she experienced the panic attacks, her depression became more severe.
Joanne took a self-improvement course that helped her identify interpersonal behaviors that diminished her connection with the people around her.
Despite having climbed the career ladder very quickly, Joanne decided to leave her job to become a health coach.
I created a network of professionals who support mental health and body positivity, as well as a podcast on the subject.
Joanne started her own marketing consulting firm and she says that it is a “privilege” to be able to take time off when she is depressed.
Over so many years of not knowing her diagnosis, Joanne tried not to lose faith in understanding what was going on.
Along the way, she saw an excess of doctors, psychiatrists, and psychologists, including some experiences that were not positive.
At a first appointment, I was already done ... I’m not a business or just another number. But everything I had to go through is part of my journey and I had to honor it.
Finally, in February 2021, Joanne had an episode that “knocked her down.” She could not eat, could not walk on her own, and had daily panic attacks. She was thinking about suicide.
On a trip to the basin, I was close to taking my own life. I thought it was the best way to solve everything.
However, Joanne decided to give one last vote of confidence to the psychiatrist who finally diagnosed her with bipolar disorder at the age of 30. She was prescribed life-changing medication.
It changed my life. It was as if they opened up my brain, took out a black cloud, and I could start to function.
With an accurate diagnosis, my life has dignity.
Joanne’s story is also available in Spanish
