What if a camera could say what your voice can’t? We sit down with Bianca, a neurodivergent artist and mother living with bipolar II, ADHD, and autistic traits, to explore how art, therapy, and the right clinical support helped her turn pain into purpose. From a turbulent childhood in post-communist Romania to a leap-of-faith move to Adelaide during the pandemic, her story threads vulnerability with resolve, and invites us to rethink what recovery and advocacy can look like.
We trace her late diagnosis journey—sparked by her child’s assessment—and the mix of shock and relief that followed a bipolar II diagnosis. Bianca breaks down the real work of finding effective medication, why a psychiatrist’s expertise matters for complex mood disorders, and how weekly therapy functions like emotional hygiene. She shares the gritty middle: when ADHD meds tangle with mood stability, when the wrong clinician sets progress back, and how to keep going until you’re truly seen.
Parenting deepened everything. Bianca talks candidly about postpartum depression, the fear of passing on trauma, and the craft of repair—slowing down, choosing different words, making room for both joy and overwhelm. Her photography practice became a lifeline: mindful “find red” walks to regulate attention, self-portraits on the days words failed, and exhibitions that turned private suffering into communal understanding. Her widely shared projects—on postpartum mental health and Hear Me Say This—use portraits and lived testimony to dismantle stigma around bipolar, autism, ADHD, and disability.
If you care about mental health, neurodiversity, creative practice, or simply want a grounded conversation about how people actually heal, this one’s for you. Subscribe to catch more stories that blend evidence, empathy, and art—and share this episode with someone who needs to feel seen today.
https://www.biancajoannaphotography.com.au/home
danabaltutis.com, mytherapyhouse.com.au, https://mytherapyhouse.com.au/your-childs-therapy-journey/ https://www.danabaltutis.com/services
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