BALANCING life and motherhood while managing her mental illness is a battle Gabrielle Bushell has been fighting and winning for more than 18 years.As a young mother diagnosed with bipolar disorder when she was 20, Ms Bushell has overcome her fair share of life's challenges and now she's written a book about her experiences.Ms Bushell said she hoped telling her story might help others by dispelling the myths surrounding the mental illness."It's about my journey," she said. "It's a very personal book but I hope by doing this people can understand what people with bipolar and their families go through."The book, Bipolar - A Balancing Act, also contains contributions from family members and close friends who have been part of Ms Bushell's journey.The 224-page book also answers many of the questions Ms Bushell has been asked about her illness.A supportive crowd of family and friends gathered at the book's launch at the South West Institute of TAFE library last Thursday night.Taking inspiration from her son and support from her family, Ms Bushell has not had a severe bipolar episode for 15 years and hoped her story would inspire others.A limited number of Ms Bushell's book will be available from South West Institute of TAFE this month.