'Thank You For Being So Brave, Mariah'

Rose Hughes, 24, knows how difficult living with bipolar disorder can be

- Kara O'neill And Joan Mcfadden

She’s one of the most successful singers of all time. With 18 No1 hits, and more than 200 million records sold, Mariah Carey has forged an impressive career.

But for the past 17 years, the songstress has been suffering in silence. After she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2001 – following a physical and mental breakdown – Mariah decided to keep her condition to herself. ‘I lived in denial and isolation and constant fear someone would expose me,’ she says.

Until now, that is.

The star – who has bipolar II disorder, which is a milder form of mood elevation involving milder episodes of hypomania that alternate with periods of severe depression – has finally revealed her struggle to the world, admitting she has therapy and takes medication to control the disorder. Her brave admission has been applauded by many. Including Rose Hughes...

Sitting outside in the sunshine, I felt calm and happy. I liked having the time to myself, time to get lost in my thoughts, and what better way to enjoy your own company than by catching a few rays?

But I don’t feel like that every day. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and I don’t even know who I am. Because, just like Mariah Carey, I’m bipolar.