Stephen Fry

[tommyhair]

I bet it's got something to do with him being gay.

Hilarious

 

[mackenzie]

I bet it's got something to do with him being gay.

Hilarious

I think LT is being sarcastic

 

[mcmanus]

I bet it's got something to do with him being gay.

Who being gay?

 

[Summerbuzz]

thanks to those who offered sympathy or interest in what I had to say, I am doing a lot better than it might appear - that little lot has been going round in my head for a few months now. I am pondering writing a blog on some of these issues but then again I spend far too much time thinking about this stuff anyway!

The nurses who post on here sound like the enlightened ones, or maybe you are just well suited to your jobs - I can't say that for every mental health professional I've met but I suppose it's the same in every line of work. You do a very hard job, and in criticizing the system, I probably go too far. I know everyone is trying to do the best for their patients regardless, and we are a trying bunch. I have to stop and remember sometimes how many people have gone out of their way to help me. It's just ironic that stopping people from splitting ideas into black and white is such a big aim in psychology, while psychiatry often seems intolerant of shades of grey in their diagnoses.

I worried myself sick about diagnosis for over a year, and when I told my therapist some of the problems I had with my dx, she said, oh, don't even think about it, it's there as a way for us to justify the therapies and treatments that we think are best for you. (then got me a psych review and a new dx that will probably help, bless her)

Good luck, and good health to one and all, most of all, be kind to yourselves.

 

[johnny on the spot]

thanks to those who offered sympathy or interest in what I had to say, I am doing a lot better than it might appear - that little lot has been going round in my head for a few months now. I am pondering writing a blog on some of these issues but then again I spend far too much time thinking about this stuff anyway!

The nurses who post on here sound like the enlightened ones, or maybe you are just well suited to your jobs - I can't say that for every mental health professional I've met but I suppose it's the same in every line of work. You do a very hard job, and in criticizing the system, I probably go too far. I know everyone is trying to do the best for their patients regardless, and we are a trying bunch. I have to stop and remember sometimes how many people have gone out of their way to help me. It's just ironic that stopping people from splitting ideas into black and white is such a big aim in psychology, while psychiatry often seems intolerant of shades of grey in their diagnoses.

I worried myself sick about diagnosis for over a year, and when I told my therapist some of the problems I had with my dx, she said, oh, don't even think about it, it's there as a way for us to justify the therapies and treatments that we think are best for you. (then got me a psych review and a new dx that will probably help, bless her)

Good luck, and good health to one and all, most of all, be kind to yourselves.

Thanks mate. Keep posting and stay well.

 

[BlueHammer85]

Great thread this, shame a few idiots have to pop up with there throw away comments . I've seen my Mum go through depression as a kid and it was a horrible experience , she would be crying and screaming one day and totally fine the next day really tough to live with - was only a couple years ago she overdosed, she rang me telling me she's sorry and ending it ! I had to drive like a maniac and get to my mums, she was screaming and throwing things round the house that a neighbour phoned the police , when the police arrived she didn't beleive they were real and was holding a knife to keep them away... I was devastated seeing a person juts change like this and I blame the medication (happy pills) for that particular incident.

Personally I think we all carry a bit of depression with us, some lucky ones just dont realise they have it - I think depression may have caused me going back to gambling, as gambling for me is an escape, my own little world where I feel safe and happy, yet when I stop I feel seriously down, like BOBs link mentioned nothing in life is worth it, nothing is interesting, TV , emtertainment etc so what ? .I don't think I suffer from it, I enjoy life I have a lovely girlfreind and a beautiful kid to bring up, I enjoy the challenges of life. But the biggest lesson to learn is that it can hit you any random time no matter how rich you are or what your sexuality is. Get well Mr Fry, you are a brilliant bloke.

 

[Plaything of the gods]

FFS I worked for £6,19 an hour last week payed 20% tax, plus NI. My heart fookin bleeds. I only did it as I have 3 young lads that I have to provide for. I couldn't even contemplate suicide as I have to look after the boys....cnuts like this with there sob storys make me sick.

Your own sob story is very, very uninteresting pal.

 

[Anonymous]

Very strange affair ...... Stephen Fry hardly looks the type to contemplate suicide , let alone attempt to execute it ...... he always appears so balanced , so level-headed.

He's always struck me as being the sort to just shrug off problems , and move on ....

But i suppose life can grind anyone down , and it's easy to become severely depressed .

 

[Plaything of the gods]

Psychiatry and psychology tend to split mental health issues into the purely psychological and the purely neurological... I think this is a pretty poor show and messes people up further.

SF has a diagnosis of bipolar, which is regarded as a neurological disorder, so it's safe to say his moods will swing unaccountably low for little or no reason, and his self worth will swing from less than zero to towering.. at the same time, it's interesting that he says he took his first overdose at 17, and this time was in the process of researching a programme on a difficult personal issue for him. I can only say I imagine someone in his position might be scarred by some of what happened when he was growing up realising he was gay. He is known for his banter and plays his know-it-all persona for laughs - he might actually not want to be that person all the time. He has taken on a lot with this role as well. He has the sort of personality and life that would lead to highs and lows in any case, but this is only part of the story. The point is that, he uses medication because it works - lithium genuinely is a miracle drug for a lot of Bipolars - this suggests extremely strongly that there is something very straightforwardly chemical happening in their brains.

look, I get mood swings too, *but I don't have a bipolar diagnosis, complicated story*. I had a stinker just over a week ago. I woke up and couldn't move out of bed. Felt so awful, heavy... I phoned the doctor, got in a state, realised I couldn't get there, cancelled the appt, did the same thing that afternoon. By that point I felt so guilty for not being in work, for wasting the doctors time, so fucking hopeless that I decided to throw away my mobile, not answer the home phone, I wouldn't talk to anyone again, they ought to forget me. Having improved my living standards considerably over the last year didn't help, it just adds to the hopelessness - 'nothing makes me happy, what more can I change?'. I've been in depression nearly non-stop since January. This means every day, every little thing, becomes a test of my will. Forget enjoying yourself by watching films or owt like that, I look forward to them then most of the time switch them off within 10 minutes. I'll confess I take (very) soft drugs to enable me to sit still, pay attention and enjoy the odd one. It doesn't help my depression in the long run but not being able to focus or enjoy anything for months on end is not good for you either - your brain needs feeding, be it enjoying company or music or whatever. If you have none of this you just get worse. But anyway, I am climbing out of it now, but still struggling with the thought of carrying on beyond a month or so.

What makes it worse for someone suffering badly from bipolar, is that their mood can switch very severely in the blink of an eye... I was safe because I didn't have the energy to get out of bed let alone the motivation or concentration to put a plan into action... but in a bipolar, they might enter a mixed state, where in the midst of a depression far more severe than mine, their mind just goes bonkers fast, every idea seems incredibly brilliant, from their mind saying 'no, no, no' to literally everything, it's now 'YES!!!! YES!!! YEEEEEEEEESSSSS!'. I had this once, just the once, thank god... you can't imagine the horror and terror when you suddenly, for example, in the middle of djing like a god for an impromtu party you are throwing, making everyone laugh and dance, you stumble across a suicide plan you had made, and instantly find yourself in both mindsets at once.... the other one I won't forget was lying on my bed, having come close to killing myself, with my mind and heart going so fast and hard... couldn't stop or slow down... like being a passenger in an aircrash. In my case, this was a reaction to coming off some prescription drugs, plus some horrific shit happening in my life. I have these swings still, but not as bad, and I am learning to cope better psychologically. But for a while last year I understood what the horror of bipolar would be like. Even when you are high, there is no rest, no peace, none at all, in fact your body and nerve-system is creaking and going wonky with the immense strain of being constantly in overdrive - it's very, very uncomfortable, and sleep can become a terrifying ordeal.

To live with this non-stop for years, to have to pick up the pieces when you have gone out of your mind and alienated your friends, blown your savings, made a complete fool of yourself.... not fun.

However I have a bit of a vested interest here and will repeat, Bipolar is not an excuse for living like a shit - bipolars by definition have periods of stability, normal mood referred to as euthymia... if you are still a shit when your mood is normal, then you are just a bit of a shit! And it's amazing to me how many bipolars regard their diagnosis as making them a bit special... because that is a symptom of another diagnosis that lurks perilously close symptomatically to bipolar, and has nothing to do with chemical imbalances, all to do with 'personality'. I tend to feel there is no real clear line to differentiate psychological imbalances from chemical imbalances, but that's how the system works.

A truly enlightening post. Thank you Summerbuzz.

 

[m7mcfc]

FFS I worked for £6,19 an hour last week payed 20% tax, plus NI. My heart fookin bleeds. I only did it as I have 3 young lads that I have to provide for. I couldn't even contemplate suicide as I have to look after the boys....cnuts like this with there sob storys make me sick.

Your own sob story is very, very uninteresting pal.

Working tonight for £13.50 an hour,what would you like me to do sign on and be a scrounging cnut. I take work where the work is I don't sign on and claim nothing from the state.

 

[Hamann Pineapple]

At the risk of sounding like a ****, I do believe that exceptional talent is often tinged with madness. They say ignorance is bliss, because in my opinion, the thoughtless don't push any boundaries. I'm not saying everyone who's troubled is a fucking 'Rainman' but there is clear evidence that exceptional people are often in a position where depression strikes easily. Considering this, it is surprising that more study is not encouraged to develop something which clearly exists. Maybe it does, maybe it just isn't publicised as much as it should be.

 

[Never Mind The Pollocks]

FFS I worked for £6,19 an hour last week payed 20% tax, plus NI. My heart fookin bleeds. I only did it as I have 3 young lads that I have to provide for. I couldn't even contemplate suicide as I have to look after the boys....cnuts like this with there sob storys make me sick.

Your own sob story is very, very uninteresting pal.

Working tonight for £13.50 an hour,what would you like me to do sign on and be a scrounging cnut. I take work where the work is I don't sign on and claim nothing from the state.

Yeah I wish Stephen Fry would stop claiming benefits, the scrounging ****. Oh wait, what thread am I in?!

 

[Dubai Blue]

FFS I worked for £6,19 an hour last week payed 20% tax, plus NI. My heart fookin bleeds. I only did it as I have 3 young lads that I have to provide for. I couldn't even contemplate suicide as I have to look after the boys....cnuts like this with there sob storys make me sick.

Your own sob story is very, very uninteresting pal.

Working tonight for £13.50 an hour,what would you like me to do sign on and be a scrounging cnut. I take work where the work is I don't sign on and claim nothing from the state.

You've missed the point by a million miles, just like that **** John Gregory did all those years ago. None of this has anything whatsoever to do with money.

 

[bumbleblue]

Depression is a crippling twat of a condition and money, having it or not, is absolutely nothing to do with it. sadly i speak from personal experience and, long story short , if i had a worst enemy i would not wish it on them. It is a condition that affects every aspect of your life.. fortunately i have an understanding gp and employer and i am grateful to both, but most of all for the support of an unbelievable partner. Dont give up people go to docs if that doesnt help go again , if you have occy health or staff support services use them..

 

[Plaything of the gods]

In reply to the OP: <a class="postlink" href="http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/depression-part-two.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.co.uk ... t-two.html</a>

Excellent. Can relate to that in so many ways, nearly had me in tears to be honest.
Thanks for posting that, it answered a lot of questions that have been spinning my head for a while

An amazing blog. I too can relate to it. I too have had that desire to be dead without wanting to kill myself; just to no longer exist, to no longer have to worry and try to cope. Crouching under the table, sobbing and trying to get into the floor. It brought back all those memories. That period is past now but I'm still convinced that I will die alone and unloved and have occasional nightmares of being in a public place - a supermarket or a street - and people are milling around in groups and I just can't reach them, talk to them, get them to notice me or interact with me in any way; I'm completely lost for a way to engage with them and they are so content being with their family and friends. I wake up, say aloud "I'm so alone", turn over and go back to sleep because there is nothing else to do; I haven't shared my bed for six years or had any active, intimate partner for thirteen years since my wife's MS cognitive problems started.

 

[StrangewaysHereWeCome]

Can't quote you POTG : my christ that's a deep and unsettling post, I feel for you mate.

 

[Summerbuzz]

agreed, heart in mouth just reading it. so glad it sounds like maybe you've put the worst behind you. caring for another who can't show their appreciation must be one of the hardest things anyone can put themselves through

 

[Plaything of the gods]

Sorry about that trip into my deepest fears. I'd had a full bottle of wine, which was very unusual. I was also wearing all black, which was a first. The former is probably the most relevant.

Yes, those days are behind me now and I'm now much more accepting of the way things are and, at root, find life endlessly fascinating. I wouldn't say I'm in the slightest bit bipolar, just have this constant loneliness, and feel more alone the more there are people around if I'm isolated from them. I have up periods and down periods but they aren't extreme and seem to be brought on by events and how other people are - some days when everything seems to work and some when everything seems to be unworkable - but I think this is normal and is nothing like the uncontrolled and uncontrollable feelings of someone with bipolar disorder that have been talked about in this thread. I find that gardening helps - being able to create and nurture something - and I guess art painting or any other type of creative activity would as well but I don't have time for anything else at the moment. Gardening, by comparison, takes up very little time as nature does most of the work.

Back on topic please.

 

[nijinsky's fetlocks]

Attention seeker. It's all about 'me' syndrome.

I think it's best to put this post down to abject ignorance.
Because the alternative is that you are simply a heartless, callous prick.
You advised Rascal to 'think' on another thread.
Maybe you should consider taking your own advice.

 

[St Helens Blue (Exiled)]

Some people who have suffered from bi polar:-

Virginia Woolf
Spike Milligan
Beethoven
Vincent Van Gogh
Robert Schumann
Buzz Aldrin
Brian Wilson
Robert Lowell
Winston Churchill
Edgar Allen Poe
Mark Twain
Graham Greene

-- Sat Jun 08, 2013 10:29 am --

Here is my story re bi polar:-

When I was about 10 (29yrs ago) my mum used to go driving at night..She had lost my dad , her hubby some years prior and before anyone thinks it , she wasn't looking for a shag!

Anyway...The first time my brother and I knew something was wrong was when the old bill turned up in the small hours asking if my mum lived here. Next thing I knew she had been sectioned under the mental health act for her own welfare. She had made a pass at 2 coppers at Birch services and got her tits out!! To be fair the cops were and have always been fantastic in dealing with this when my mum goes off on one. Touch wood for the past few years she has been fantastic and bar the odd downer she has been fine and her Lythium levels in her blood have been correct.

From that day all those years ago my mum has had some very sad and sometimes funny moments leading to her being sectioned.Examples are:-

Walking down the road with a 10 inch blade trying to cut her wrists.
Ringing the old bill and speaking French to them.
Getting lost in Egypt on a Nile cruise as a result of dehydration messing her medication levels up.
Letting the police in her home and then throwing a wardrobe at them whilst they were at the bottom of the stairs!
These are just a few of the things that have happened to my mum and as a result she has spent many months of her life in and out of hospital.
As a child,seeing your mum on a ward at the old Prestwich hospital is something I will never ever forget. It really was like something out of "One flew over the cuckoos nest" and my mum was probably the most sane in there!
She has had electric shock treatment - this was over 25yrs ago.

I was fostered along with my brother and sister for a short time in my early teens when my mothers illness was at it's worst.

The biggest thing to overcome is the tabboo that still surrounds mental illness. My mum made huge steps when she just admitted to herself "Yes I have a mental illness" and ever since then has been fantastic. She hasn't been in hospital for 4 years now and you will see her regularly sat in the South Stand level 2 with me and my boy cheering the lads on.

Believe me when I say this Manchester City football club have helped my mum lead a normal day to day life. Having a hobby is hugely important when dealing with mental illness like this.

Her illness prevented her from watching her beloved blues for many a year and now she is making up for lost time. Don't get me wrong she still does my head in as any mum does at times but you would NEVER know she has this illness.

People who take the piss beware.1 in 3 people suffer from some form of mental illness in their lifetime. I learnt very quickly and had to grow up fast.
Bi polar disorder is a horrible illness however if managed correctly there is no reason you cannot have a totally normal life.

The ignorance of some people twds mental illness in unbelievable.My mum is financially secure , in fact very well off..It doesn't make her happy though!!