The BBC’s long-running soap opera EastEnders has earned praise for its sensitive portrayal of mental health issues, particularly through characters like Stacey Slater, played by Lacey Turner, and her mother Jean Slater, portrayed by Gillian Wright. Both characters live with bipolar disorder, a condition that affects their daily lives in ways that resonate with viewers. The show has consistently depicted the realities of bipolar, from managing stigma to navigating medication and the episodic nature of the condition, where individuals are often well but can experience symptom flare-ups that lead to periods of being unwell.
In recent weeks, EastEnders has explored a poignant new angle: how grief intersects with bipolar disorder. Following the sudden death of Martin, Stacey’s storyline highlights her struggle with low mood, reduced activity, and diminished energy. This narrative raises critical questions about distinguishing between natural grief and a bipolar depressive episode, and when loved ones should intervene.
Professor Guy Goodwin, an emeritus professor of psychiatry at the University of Oxford, explains the complexity. “Grief is a reaction to loss. It’s a natural process that evolves over time in ways that are unique to each individual. When someone living with bipolar experiences loss, it can be difficult to distinguish between the feelings of grief and the symptoms of a bipolar depression which can include becoming less productive and sociable, and having less energy. This matters because if someone with bipolar doesn’t take action when they notice early signs of a low mood, the symptoms may intensify, and they can experience a severe episode of depression with periods of total inactivity and recurrent intrusive suicidal thoughts.”
Personal stories echo this challenge. Ann-Marie Steele from Manchester, who lost her uncle earlier this year, shares her experience. “I find dealing with grief hard as I just feel numb, hardly cry and don’t know how to act or feel, which could be down to the side-effects of my bipolar medication. But the grief does feel different to bipolar depression as when I experienced an extreme episode of mania and psychosis in 2020, it was followed by months of feeling low, helpless, alone and fearful and panicky, a whole range of feelings.”
Bipolar UK, a national charity, underscores the prevalence of this issue. Over half of their survey respondents (55%) report that bereavement has triggered a bipolar episode. Other losses, such as redundancy or divorce, also frequently act as triggers, amplifying the risk of mood instability.
Rebecca Goddard from Kent, who experienced a miscarriage five years ago, reflects on her journey. “I didn’t realise the difference between grief and the bipolar depression, but my husband recognised I was very erratic and very impulsive, and then crashed. I even turned to alcohol for a short period of time. Five years on, when I see anything about loss, I still can’t comprehend what’s happened. I feel my bipolar depressive episodes are linked to the extreme grief.”
Simon Kitchen, Bipolar UK’s CEO, emphasises proactive management. “Relapse prevention for someone with bipolar centres around learning to understand their own patterns of illness and spotting the early signs of an episode, empowering them to take action to ward off an episode. We recommend tracking mood daily using a Mood Scale and Mood Tracker app. When an individual becomes aware of their typical patterns, they can then distinguish between the natural grieving process which may just need time and space to evolve, and the symptoms of depression when support and a medication review from a healthcare team may be needed.”
