Somewhere between Boston and New Hampshire’s White Mountains, Josh Santana lost touch with reality.

The shift marked a stark divergence for the young college student, as the preceding weeks had ranked among the best he could remember. He no longer needed an alarm clock to wake up. He ran his fastest mile. He walked for hours at night, contemplating how to better the world. But the best part, he said, was as if overnight, years of mental illness vanished. His pain, the depression, the restlessness—all of it—ceased.

The milestone was short-lived. Two weeks later, still euphoric, Santana’s judgment began to decline. What Santana, then 21, had experienced was a significant episode of mania—a serious and dangerous symptom of bipolar disorder.

Santana's story is part of NIMH's special 75th Anniversary series featuring the experiences of people living with mental illnesses. Read Santana's story of growing up with ADHD and bipolar disorder.