45. Alessandra Torresani on Living (and Thriving) With Bipolar 1 Disorder

You may know today’s guest from iconic shows like Malcolm In The Middle, The Big Bang Theory, and Arrested Development. I know her as my new BFF. Alessandra Torresani is a beaming light of positive energy and healthy outlook; she joins the show to talk about being diagnosed with Bipolar 1 Disorder and thriving as an on-screen sensation and mental health advocate. Moving to Hollywood at eleven, her story of child stardom touches on early symptoms that confused her family and doctors. She’d bang her head on the wall. She’d refuse to cross thresholds and enter doorways. As a teen, antidepressants made her highs, higher, and her lows, lower – leading to suicidal thoughts and rage.It wasn’t until she was twenty one that she received a Bipolar 1 diagnosis, a shift that changed her life for the better, forever. We unpack what that realization meant for her career, her dating life, and later on – her pregnancy and journey as a new mom.We talk about breaking the stigma, the courage it takes to tell your story for the benefit of others, and how a healthy combination of meditation, medication, movement, nature, and emotional support has allowed her to live her best life.Don’t forget, Alessandra and I did a podcast swap – so you can catch my conversation with her, on her show’s feed, Emotional Support.Resources:Instagram: @alessandratorresaniPodcast: @emotionalsupportpodEmotional Support: Emotional Support with Alessandra TorresaniNAMI: nami.org/HomeNAM Family-to-Family Learning: 8-session educational programTone It Up January Challenge: Box & BurnRead: The Big Silence: A Daughter's Memoir of Mental Illness and Healing Follow Karena Dawn on Instagram: @karenadawnFollow The Big Silence on Instagram: @The.Big.SilenceSubscribe: The Big Silence YouTube ChannelTherapy For All: Resources for those in needDonate to The Big Silence thebigsilence.com/donate to be a part of the movement to break the silence and make noise with us!“The Big Silence” theme song written and performed by James Nicholas Kinney.Executive Handyman, Bobby Goldstein.The Big Silence is produced by Crate Media.