Celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal has revealed he’s been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The restauranteur was previously diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in 2017, and says his neurodivergence is his “superpower”.
The condition is thought to have a genetic link – evidence suggests those with a parent with bipolar have around a 10 per cent chance of developing the condition, and those with two bipolar parents have up to a 70 per cent chance of having it. This can lead to sleeping problems and very erratic behaviour. Kitchen says: “They might send emails to a colleague at two o’clock in the morning, they might end up experiencing hypersexual behaviour, or put themselves in very vulnerable situations. And they can also spend lots of money in a short period of time, and take on lots of debt.
Top Health Stories Today “It really damages family relationships. Whereas if you know you’ve got a mental health condition and that’s what’s caused your behaviour, it doesn’t make the impact necessarily easier, but it means the person living with the condition doesn’t have the same level of shame. This is part of the condition that can be managed.”