A Bolton man with Bipolar disorder has written a book to share his story.

Christian Ogden has suffered from mental health issues since his teenage years, having his first admission to a psychiatric ward when he was at university.

The 48-year-old knows he will be suicidal again in the future but cannot know when.

Instead he treats every day he is still alive as a bonus, even though he knows there is no cure for his condition.

Mr Odgen has amassed a following of more than 1,000 on social media, the majority of whom also have mental health issues, and he has shared his story in his book entitled Bipolar 1 or 2: The Darkest Corners of My Mind.

The title alludes to the form of bipolar with Mr Odgen has, who now lives in Westhoughton, suffers from.

He was initially diagnosed with Bipolar 1 in his 20s and was later found to have Bipolar with rapid cycling.

The form of the condition, which about five in every 1,000 people with Bipolar have, means his mood can swing from hypermania to depression six to seven times a year.

To give an illustration of how his mood can change, he once had a depressive episode which lasted 18 months when he could barely bring himself to get out of bed.

When he was had hypermania he once impulsively ordered six caravans to his then home on Astley Bridge.

He recognised his error but was able to sell them on as a profit.

He has had around ten admissions to mental health units, and five years ago underwent electroconvulsive therapy, which even though it worsened his memory has improved his mental wellbeing.

Mr Odgen, described how he has tried to come to terms with his mental health difficulties, even though he knows he will relapse.

He said: “It is just something that is part of my life and something that I have to live with.

“There are things you can do to help yourself but at the end of the day it is incurable.

“I have tried most of the medication in the mental health system

“Some medication you take and you are numb.

“Am I a big believer in medication, no not really”

He added: “I have got a psychiatrist

“‘He says to me ‘there is nothing else I can do for you, you are doing all the right things.

“All I can do is be there for you.'

"If I am suicidal I can go to A&E.

“It can still strike again, no if buts or maybes.

“I know I am going to get suicidal again

“It is not like if, it is when.

“You need to not think about it, otherwise you would go nuts."

“Every day you are alive is a bonus.”

He describes writing the book as “therapeutic” and said he wrote it during a good period when he would write up to 3,000 words a day.