Many people live with an illness long before anyone names it. Aparna Piramal Raje knows that story well. For 13 years, her mood swings had no explanation. Today, she speaks openly about them across India.
Aparna Piramal Raje and the Years Without a Name
Aparna Piramal Raje grew up in Mumbai and London. She studied at Oxford University and Harvard Business School. Later, she worked in her family’s business and as a journalist. Her symptoms first surfaced in 2000, when she was in her mid-20s. That same year, she began studying at Harvard Business School. However, the pattern stayed unnamed. Meanwhile, she kept studying and working through those years. For over a decade, she rode highs and lows she did not understand. Looking back, she sees that too many projects and deadlines pushed her into mania more than once. As a result, work itself became a trigger.
The Breakdown That Finally Brought a Diagnosis
In March 2013, Aparna Piramal Raje attended a weeklong yoga retreat at an ashram in Bihar. There, she slept no more than three hours a night for several days. Her thoughts became scattered, and she was talking to herself. She describes the episode as a psychotic breakdown. She could not manage the journey back to Mumbai alone. Therefore, her husband came to escort her home. Soon after, a psychiatrist started her on medication. For the first time, her condition had a name: bipolar disorder. Next came several months of depression. Eventually, that phase lifted too.
Why the Diagnosis Felt Like Relief
Surprisingly, the diagnosis came as a relief. She told YourStory that her swings looked more like a personality issue than an illness. Now, she and her family had a roadmap for treatment. At last, they knew how to manage what was happening. She explains bipolar disorder as a mood disorder with extreme shifts. At one end is mania, with barely any sleep. At the other end is depression, with low energy. In between, long stable stretches can last.
The diagnosis also taught her that personality and illness are different things. She says she has a normal personality and a medical condition. Therefore, she manages it like any other medical condition. She does not consider herself unwell, though she calls it an illness. That insight became the bedrock of her self-acceptance, she says. She calls herself an optimist who looks for solutions. Over ten years, those solutions and hacks helped her heal. Recovery took many pieces. She credits the right medication, a trustworthy doctor, supportive family and friends, and a manageable job. In addition, she names a spiritual practice and self-reflection.
She groups her tools into seven therapies. Three are essential for survival: medical care, family love, and a disciplined lifestyle. For instance, she still sees her therapist every fortnight. Therapy helps her find her triggers. Likewise, five poor nights of sleep in a row can tip her into hypomania. Usually, something psychological keeps her awake. Her husband, two sons, and sister care for her when she is unwell. Sleep, she says, is religion, and she rarely works after dinner.
Four more therapies help her thrive: journaling, Vedanta study, empathy from allies, and structured work. She calls mental health a team sport, so she asked for help and she shared her vulnerability with friends, mentors, and colleagues. She describes her working style as playing opposite-handed. In practice, she works more slowly and takes breaks before burning out. Together, these four therapies moved her from coping to thriving.
From Private Notes to a Public Voice
By late 2014, Aparna Piramal Raje had written a note titled “10 Things I’ve Learnt about Being Bipolar”. She wrote it for family, friends, and mental health professionals. In May 2022, she launched her book at the Royal Opera House in Mumbai. By then, she had been stable for over four years. About 400 people filled the audience, and her sister joined her to release the book. Chemical Khichdi: How I Hacked My Mental Health tells her story of healing. According to her, it became an official national bestseller. Moreover, the book shows that one can be happy, successful, and bipolar.
Afterwards, she says she received invitations to speak at 150 talks across the country and online. Later, in November 2025, she stood among eleven women at a Bangalore event. They held copies of Homecoming: Mental Health Journeys of Resilience, Healing and Wholeness. Her story is one of those in the anthology.
Today, she is 50 and lives in Mumbai with her husband, two teenage sons, and in-laws. She works as a writer, columnist, and public speaker. Over two decades, she has had about a dozen manic or hypomanic episodes. However, she reports no full-blown mania or depression in over eight years. Still, her mood swings have not vanished entirely. The difference, she says, is that she now feels in control. She believes happiness is a decision and a daily practice.
The Wise Take
Aparna Piramal Raje shows that a diagnosis is not an ending. Instead, it can be a starting point. Her story suggests that early help and steady support make recovery possible. Her stated aim is to make it easier for others to seek help. She also reminds us that everyone has mood swings. Bipolar disorder, she says, means extreme swings and very specific changes in behaviour. Therefore, her advice is simple: get timely professional help, tell your family, and make allies. Nearly ten years ago, she wrote in her journal that her struggle also brought truth, compassion, wisdom, patience, and love. In her experience, a mental health condition need not block family life or a career.
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