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Post by Trev Williams on Mar 6, 2007 18:15:59 GMT -1
"Mental illness is a big comic relief theme this year", says the radio times.. this is brilliant I look forward to seeing how they cover it.. if anyone sees anything do post it up.. one program in particular: Stephen Fry: the Secret Life of the Manic Depressive which is shown again on Monday 12th and 13th March at 11.35pm on BBC2 is a must see. "These moving accounts provide a welcome insight into a debilitating sickness that is rarely discussed".. It was shown last year and I think it's the most accurate and honest account of Bipolar disorder I've seen on mainstream TV, and it raises much needed awareness to tackle the stigma which sufferers often face.. certainly hat's off to Stephen Fry for having the guts to make this program Trev
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Post by vixie on Mar 6, 2007 20:17:40 GMT -1
Definately, I agree wholeheartedly with that ^^ I watched Stephen Fry's account last yr, and been a 'shamed' fellow sufferer, felt a little more relaxed about it...though we differ a great deal, as anyone with mh problems, raising the awareness and trying to erase the stigma attached is a great benefit to all
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Post by Tessa on Mar 7, 2007 14:24:22 GMT -1
I think Stephen Fry is amazing, and his programme really showed the effort he has to put in to succeed the way he does. Anyone watching would understand better.
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Post by Trev Williams on Mar 11, 2007 13:12:15 GMT -1
they had a young man who had a psychotic episode on Casualty yesterday.. I thought they covered the experience pretty well, how it depicted hearing voices was also really good to see, how they were overwhelming and took over his actions.. it was also important that Abs said he wasn't a danger to anyone only himself, which I feel is a common misconception toward people who suffer mental illness. did anyone else see it?
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Post by vixie on Mar 17, 2007 15:29:50 GMT -1
no i didn't but wish i had...i lovvvvvvvvvvvvve Abs **drools** I have unusual taste... I watched Comic Relief until ... well until as long as I could keep my peepers open, around 2.40 I think, and I was touched, one minute I was giggling the next sobbing my heart out, my next resolve, to raise as much money as possible for COmic relief next year... Also, on another note, Im making a video for World Mental Health day *yay* and getting some service users in our area involved...Im also a part of the steering group organising it, yayyyyy
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Post by Trev Williams on Mar 17, 2007 16:29:48 GMT -1
Also, on another note, Im making a video for World Mental Health day *yay* and getting some service users in our area involved...Im also a part of the steering group organising it, yayyyyy cool Vixie.. that sounds like a great idea!! be sure to tell us about it when you do it Trev x
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overly verbose of sw oxon
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Post by overly verbose of sw oxon on Mar 21, 2007 3:04:10 GMT -1
I finally managed to see this after wanting to for some time, not least because I am a big fan of Stephen Fry and I was very impressed with a speech he wrote some years ago for the Samaritans.
And now I've seen it I'm very happy it's out there and being repeated and publicised, because it's important that people should not only learn about life with mental illness but also see that mentally ill people are still like them, their friends, their heroes; and it was touching and hilarious, by turns or at the same time, and I'm very glad he and his interviewees could bring themselves to describe their experiences, which must be remarkably harrowing and embarrassing and sadly potentially dangerous to admit to in public.
I must say, though, as a long-term depressive I was a little disappointed that unipolar depression was not even mentioned except as an excuse for the opening minutes' clips of R Williams (and not the R Williams I expected) gooning around for the cameras.
After all the "see, see! how serious an illness bipolar disorder is with such terrible depressions (which all my guests say they wouldn't swap for the world because of the manic phases, except the one person who doesn't mention manic symptoms at all)" he couldn't find time to say, "Oh, by the way, some people get these debilitating and/or suicidal episodes of lowness without the mania, but there's no need to bother your little head worrying about those people, because without the few days of determined creative energy and flamboyant wit padding out their weeks of pyjama-clad isolation in darkened rooms contemplating death they can never be as fabulously well-loved as me and my famous pals, we'd never find anyone to talk on camera about their talent because they can't get their act together to work on one or indeed get out of bed, and anyway after a few months of not leaving the house nobody can remember them, never mind say anything nice about them. What boring existences, most unworthy of your consideration."
But then I would say that.
Anyhow I do realise bipolar disorder is clinically classified at a much more serious level and is (stop me if I'm talking in terms too blunt for your forum) more prone to suicide as the whole lethargy/doubt of depression can also be the small mercy of keeping the sufferer from doing anything too final. And we probably get our TV programmes too, we just don't get our own Stephen Fry... but thank god there's one at all, of course.
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Post by Tessa on Mar 23, 2007 23:49:15 GMT -1
You make some very good points Overly. I think that the distinction between bipolar and depression is not always clear e.g. in lists of famous people with 'depression'. So maybe it was a good thing that Stephen Fry stuck to what he knew in his programmes, and didn't confuse the public further. People can only know what they have experienced or learned in another way, so we are all dependent on our sources to form our attitudes. With depression, many people have experienced a low mood and then feel that they understand what it is like to be depressed. But there are so many different levels and they don't necessarily realise that things can get worse than they themselves have felt. People with mental health problems are just people who have been pushed further than people without those problems. There would not be stigma if we all accepted that - and maybe the fear occurs when people realise it, and don't want to feel vulnerable to it.
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