I Thought I Was Jesus – Student Recounts Manic Episode and Stigma

Dan Miller shares his story to encourage open conversations on mental health

Summary report by Alex Rowan

—When Dan Miller woke up one January morning in 2016, he felt unstoppable. The then-university student believed he had tapped into a hidden power in his brain and could change the world. Within days, he was hospitalized under Britain’s Mental Health Act.

“I truly believed I could be a 21st-century version of Jesus Christ,” Miller told Metro in a first-person essay published in 2020 as part of the Time To Change campaign, which aims to reduce stigma around mental illness.

Miller described the onset of what doctors later identified as an acute manic episode, a hallmark of bipolar disorder. Triggered by sleep deprivation and stress from exams, the episode left him euphoric, hyper-social, and convinced of extraordinary abilities.

His behavior quickly escalated. He blasted music through city streets, approached strangers as if they were old friends, and even phoned his mother claiming to have discovered a cure for Alzheimer’s. “It was like my usual personality was turned up by about 1000 percent,” he wrote.

Alarmed, his parents traveled to Newcastle to bring him home. Doctors decided he needed to be “sectioned,” a legal process in the U.K. that allows involuntary hospitalization when someone poses a risk to themselves or others.

Miller said strong medication, including the antipsychotic Olanzapine, along with family support, helped him stabilize. He credits “a supportive family home who gave me unconditional love and reassurance” for helping him recover.

Even after treatment, the stigma lingered. Miller said he hid the truth by telling classmates he had glandular fever. When he returned to university, one potential housemate said they did not want to live with someone who had been sectioned. Others labeled him “crazy” in social settings.

“The worst thing about getting a message like that is it regresses you straight back to a place of despair and hopelessness,” he wrote.

Miller said the most painful judgments often came from within. He wrestled with shame and guilt, believing he had caused his condition. Over time, though, he reframed his experience as a source of strength. “Looking back, I realize that there is no stronger act than overcoming or working through mental health issues,” he said.

Now, nearly a decade later, Miller has not relapsed. He said he still analyzes his moods carefully and sometimes worries that feeling “too happy” could signal another episode. Friends who witnessed his mania remain vigilant, occasionally checking in if they sense changes.

Miller said he has grown more open about his condition and now describes it as matter-of-factly as a physical illness. “If they ask, I say that I had an acute manic episode, as casually as if it had been glandular fever,” he said.

He hopes sharing his story will help others feel less isolated. “The truth is, it’s a hard thing to talk about, but the more we do, the easier it becomes.”

Read the full report on Metro