“A Swing from Plenitude to Isolation”: A Study of Language, Metaphor, and Mediation of Bipolar Disorder in Indian Autopathographies

The oscillating moods of bipolar disorder, swinging from the plenitude of mania to the isolation of depression, impact a large section of the Indian population. Recent times have witnessed the rise of autopathographies of people with bipolar disorder as powerful narratives of these unspoken experiences. This paper examines four such ­autopathographies: Swadesh Deepak’s मैंने मांडू नहीं देखा [I Have Not Seen Mandu] (its English translation by Jerry Pinto, I Have Not Seen Mandu; Shreevatsa Nevatia’s How to Travel Light; Vijay Nallawala’s A Bipolar’s Journey; and K S Ram’s WARRIOR. By foregrounding the mediating role of English in these narratives within the context of India’s legacy with colonial psychiatry, this paper explores the metaphors used for articulating the debilitating pain and fluctuating moods of bipolar disorder. It contends that Indian autopathographies of bipolar patients navigate the tension between English as a tool of psychiatric diagnosis and as a medium for personal expression of pain, underscoring the need for culturally inclusive approaches in medical humanities to interpret better and teach mental health experiences in the Global South.