Karen Manton was born in Grangetown, Middlesbrough in the North East of England. From leaving school she worked for the local authority. Having suffered from Bipolar Disorder from the age of 17 Karen retired at a very young age on ill health. She later returned to work in Social Care but after suffering further ill health resigned from her post. She then decided to write her life story 'Searching For Brighter Days: Learning to Manage My Bipolar Brain.' Karen is continuing to help others with mental illness by speaking out on various radio stations, writing magazine articles, blogs and podcast interviews, etc. Karen is also training as a Peer Support worker.