![\"Natasha](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/cfaeb90b11c77cf1af0e075845e3a64f-1790958908.jpeg\")
STV NewsNatasha takes medication for bipolar disorder STV News<\/p>\nA woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder says new research into whether diet could help treat the condition could give patients more choices.<\/p>\n
Natasha Wilson spent years seeking help before being diagnosed last year after moving between services and receiving different treatment.<\/p>\n
She is now taking part in a \u00a37.9m clinical trial exploring whether a ketogenic diet could help reduce depressive symptoms in people with bipolar disorder.<\/p>\n
The study will investigate whether dietary changes can improve depressive symptoms, as well as looking at potential changes in areas such as brain chemistry.<\/p>\n
UK research estimates that it takes an average of 9.5 years from first seeking help for symptoms to receiving a diagnosis of bipolar.<\/p>\n
Natasha, a teaching fellow in physical activity and health at the University of Abertay, says she first sought help in 2020.<\/p>\n
STV NewsNatasha takes medication for bipolar disorder STV News<\/p>\n
She had experienced poor mental health during the pandemic including phases of hypomania, during which she exhibited \u201cout of character\u201d behaviour and at one point required a hospital stay.<\/p>\n
She moved between services in England, Fife and Tayside, receiving different treatment along the way which she described as a \u201cpostcode lottery.\u201d<\/p>\n
Natasha was diagnosed last year after a five-year NHS wait.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt a bit angry \u2013 like my 34 years had been a lie,\u201d she told STV News. \u201cI\u2019d managed without medication all my life. There was also shame and embarrassment, because there\u2019s a stigma around mental health.<\/p>\n
\u201cI kind of felt like I lost myself along the way. When you\u2019re being told one thing, \u2018you\u2019re this you\u2019re that,\u2019 and I was like \u2018I\u2019m a person I\u2019m not just a diagnosis.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody was really listening and it was frustrating.\u201d<\/p>\n
She says the lack of understanding is one of the worst aspects of having bipolar disorder.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people were like \u2018Oh, it\u2019s made up.\u2019 Why would someone make up feeling so bad or depressed? It felt like banging your head against a brick wall.\u201d<\/p>\n
Natasha says she finally found the right medication for her last June. While it gives her brain fog, she finds the side effects are otherwise manageable.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s probably the closest I\u2019ve felt to being myself. I\u2019m not as on the ball as I used to be, but I can go about my day, exercise and feel motivated.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ENERGISE-BD study explores whether dietary changes could play a role in mental health and aims to include around 200 participants from a variety of different backgrounds.<\/p>\n
Natasha joined up after seeing an advert shared by Bipolar Scotland.<\/p>\n
While she has always prioritised nutrition in relation to sports performance, she had not considered its effects on symptoms of her condition.<\/p>\n
She hopes it might help identify additional options for people, whether alongside medication or an alternative.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, the big thing is the hope for the future,\u201d she said. \u201cI want to make it better for the next person to get that diagnosis.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe study itself is something that allows me to play to my strengths and understand it a bit more. Hearing other people\u2019s experiences has made me feel like I\u2019m not alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we find out dietary changes could work, I will shout it from the rooftops.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Clinical](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/cba73753de4821d0bbcb3791932ea58e-1790958503.jpeg\")
STV NewsClinical lead Professor Daniel Smith STV News<\/p>\n
Professor Daniel Smith, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Edinburgh, explains the randomised controlled trial will compare a ketogenic diet with the NHS Eatwell Guide in people with bipolar disorder experiencing depressive symptoms.<\/p>\n
The research follows a smaller feasibility study which found people with bipolar disorder following a ketogenic diet reported improvements in mood.<\/p>\n
Professor Smith stressed that while treating mental illness with nutritional approaches is \u201cpotentially game-changing,\u201d researchers are not looking at diet as a replacement for medication.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s another potential intervention that may be helpful in some people with bipolar, and we really need the evidence.<\/p>\n
\u201cLonger term, there\u2019s growing recognition that diet, exercise and sleep are really important for maintaining mental health in all of us, not just for people with bipolar disorder.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it proves one of those interventions is effective compared to the other for depressive symptoms, that\u2019s quite a big result in lots of ways. It changes the way we think about mental health, like bipolar disorder.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think it will work for every patient, but it gives more hope about the kinds of treatments available to them and changes the way psychiatrists think about what causes mental illness.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to be more holistic about how we approach treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018A ten-year wait for diagnosis is devastating\u2019![\"Bipolar](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/3f5543668b3acdb7a9c2fb5e90323f68-1790958596.jpeg\")
STV NewsBipolar Scotland chief executive Maja Mitchell-Grigorjeva STV News<\/p>\n
Bipolar Scotland chief executive Maja Mitchell-Grigorjeva has welcomed the new study.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo have innovative research happening in Scotland is really exciting. Research can bring awareness and greater understanding for people living with the condition.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t wait to support it and see what the outcome is.\u201d<\/p>\n
She says the ten-year average wait for a diagnosis has a \u201cvery real human impact.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s ten years of relationships affected, careers disrupted, finances and physical health which can be devastating,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t think waiting ten years for a diagnosis is inevitable. It feels like something we could work together to change.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we\u2019re talking about delay, we also need to think about what comes after. It\u2019s also about making sure that, when people get that diagnosis, people living with bipolar have access to timely, appropriate, person-centred care.\u201d<\/p>\n
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