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Stephen Fry reveals he attempted suicide in 2012

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Stephen Fry reveals he attempted suicide in 2012

#41

Post by solomatov »

winter_blue wrote: post #29
citricsquid wrote: post #3

The documentary mentioned about his bi-polar is available on Amazon (and without permission on Youtube) for anyone interested, it's a very good insight into bi-polar and depression, worth the 120 minutes: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0808482/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Fry:_The_Secret_Life_of... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stephen-Frys-Secret-Manic-Depressive...

When you use words like "bi-polar and depression" it gives the sense that this is a medical disease . And while speaking strictly, it is indeed a medical disease -- I want people to see the raw human factor in this. Depression, for example, in my experience, and from what I've seen -- often has a cause; a rational, explainable cause (that the sufferer often isn't aware of). When you treat someone's depression as a "m…

There are cases of depression, so called endogenous depression, which can't be cured in any other way than with medication.

Re: Stephen Fry reveals he attempted suicide in 2012

#42

Post by DanBC »

winter_blue wrote: post #29
citricsquid wrote: post #3

The documentary mentioned about his bi-polar is available on Amazon (and without permission on Youtube) for anyone interested, it's a very good insight into bi-polar and depression, worth the 120 minutes: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0808482/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Fry:_The_Secret_Life_of... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stephen-Frys-Secret-Manic-Depressive...

When you use words like "bi-polar and depression" it gives the sense that this is a medical disease . And while speaking strictly, it is indeed a medical disease -- I want people to see the raw human factor in this. Depression, for example, in my experience, and from what I've seen -- often has a cause; a rational, explainable cause (that the sufferer often isn't aware of). When you treat someone's depression as a "m…

Fry has Bipolar Disorder, diagnosed in England.

This is a very different illness to depression. And depression has different forms.

Yes, talking therapies are powerful. But you seem to be making the mistake that a talking therapy isn't affecting brain chemistry, or that drugs are inherently bad.

Comments like yours are very frustrating. Do you talk about people ignoring the real human factor when we put a broken bone in a cast?

Re: Stephen Fry reveals he attempted suicide in 2012

#43

Post by thoughtcriminal »

tjtrapp wrote: post #33
winter_blue wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When you use words like "bi-polar and depression" it gives the sense that this is a medical disease . And while speaking strictly, it is indeed a medical disease -- I want people to see the raw human factor in this. Depression, for example, in my experience, and from what I've seen -- often has a cause; a rational, explainable cause (that the sufferer often isn't aware of). When you treat someone's depression as a "m…

Pills are easy... Aside from a 30 minute visit to the doc. Addressing the root cause typically requires working with others over a period of time... and that work is oftentimes what people with depression want to avoid.

No. That's a lie. I'm bipolar and have spells of depression that feel like doom. I've been dealing with it as long as I can remember. It can get really bad. Working out helps (if I have the strength to move), medication helps, but nothing and I mean NOTHING can make it go away until it has run its course.

Re: Stephen Fry reveals he attempted suicide in 2012

#44

Post by solomatov »

adrianbye wrote: post #39
winter_blue wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When you use words like "bi-polar and depression" it gives the sense that this is a medical disease . And while speaking strictly, it is indeed a medical disease -- I want people to see the raw human factor in this. Depression, for example, in my experience, and from what I've seen -- often has a cause; a rational, explainable cause (that the sufferer often isn't aware of). When you treat someone's depression as a "m…

what is ignored (thanks to psychiatry being left wing, and trying to mitigate the downside rather than build on the upside) is that bipolar brings a lot of BENEFITS. when bipolar people are very hyper, they can achieve great things. thats the reason why people with bipolar usually don't want to be medicated - the highs bring genius.. the problem are the lows which follow it. average people don't make the big breakthr…

In bipolar disorder, depressive episodes are much more common than manic episodes. They get high , but they suffer much more than they gain from their illness and AFAIK, bipolar depression is much worse than usual unipolar depression and much much worse than depression caused by life events.

Re: Stephen Fry reveals he attempted suicide in 2012

#45

Post by hvs »

winter_blue wrote: post #29
citricsquid wrote: post #3

The documentary mentioned about his bi-polar is available on Amazon (and without permission on Youtube) for anyone interested, it's a very good insight into bi-polar and depression, worth the 120 minutes: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0808482/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Fry:_The_Secret_Life_of... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stephen-Frys-Secret-Manic-Depressive...

When you use words like "bi-polar and depression" it gives the sense that this is a medical disease . And while speaking strictly, it is indeed a medical disease -- I want people to see the raw human factor in this. Depression, for example, in my experience, and from what I've seen -- often has a cause; a rational, explainable cause (that the sufferer often isn't aware of). When you treat someone's depression as a "m…

Bipolar disorder cannot be solved with therapy. Additionally, clinical depression is different from situational depression. Yes, you are right, that many people would benefit from therapy in addition to drugs, but bipolar disorder, especially, is not a disease that responds to it. It is a chemical/biological disorder and needs to be treated as such.

Re: Stephen Fry reveals he attempted suicide in 2012

#46

Post by GuyCall »

magicalist wrote: post #21
koningrobot wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stephen Fry should speak for himself. People can have very good reasons to want to die. Reasons that are so good that, besides outweighing the value that their life has to them, still have enough oomph to carry one over the high doorstep of fear and pain that comes with taking one's own life. Life is not infinitely valuable. Its goods can be outweighed by bads. People who really just want to go should be respected an…

We don't have the full interview here for context, so I don't think either of us should be absolute on this, but I would guess that he's specifically speaking within the bounds of suicide rooted in mental illness. In fact, I would place very good odds that Stephen Fry would highlight the issues inherent in assisted suicide but still support it on the whole.

Full interview will appear here in a few days - http://www.comedy.co.uk/podcasts/richard_herring_lst_podcast...

Re: Stephen Fry reveals he attempted suicide in 2012

#47

Post by ghswa »

adrianbye wrote: post #39
winter_blue wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When you use words like "bi-polar and depression" it gives the sense that this is a medical disease . And while speaking strictly, it is indeed a medical disease -- I want people to see the raw human factor in this. Depression, for example, in my experience, and from what I've seen -- often has a cause; a rational, explainable cause (that the sufferer often isn't aware of). When you treat someone's depression as a "m…

what is ignored (thanks to psychiatry being left wing, and trying to mitigate the downside rather than build on the upside) is that bipolar brings a lot of BENEFITS. when bipolar people are very hyper, they can achieve great things. thats the reason why people with bipolar usually don't want to be medicated - the highs bring genius.. the problem are the lows which follow it. average people don't make the big breakthr…

This doesn't sound like you're talking from personal experience.

Saying that the highs bring genius is a gross simplification.

Yes, manic episodes can provide productivity boosts and huge amounts of energy but it doesn't have to go much further before it becomes impossible to complete a thought let alone a sentence, where you cannot sit still, where your judgement is severely impaired or you're suffering psychoses.

None of these symptoms (and there are many more) are particularly conducive to productive work, let alone breakthroughs.

Re: Stephen Fry reveals he attempted suicide in 2012

#48

Post by edwkar »

winter_blue wrote: post #29
citricsquid wrote: post #3

The documentary mentioned about his bi-polar is available on Amazon (and without permission on Youtube) for anyone interested, it's a very good insight into bi-polar and depression, worth the 120 minutes: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0808482/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Fry:_The_Secret_Life_of... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stephen-Frys-Secret-Manic-Depressive...

When you use words like "bi-polar and depression" it gives the sense that this is a medical disease . And while speaking strictly, it is indeed a medical disease -- I want people to see the raw human factor in this. Depression, for example, in my experience, and from what I've seen -- often has a cause; a rational, explainable cause (that the sufferer often isn't aware of). When you treat someone's depression as a "m…

I roughly agree with your sentiment, but your last sentence is IMO a bit too rough with the "resort to a bunch of drugs" part.

Any psychiatrist worth his salt, will primarly prescribe drugs as a means to help people cope, while working on the actual underlying causes. Indeed, in many cases, using drugs in the treatment may be the only option to make the patient's day-to-day life bearable. Drugs may also be essential for allowing the treatment team to examine, possibly very problematic, underlying issues.

Also, a SSRI, for instance, can of course not "treat" someone of a clinical depression; you will virtually always need professional cause-oriented therapy to get better. Most patients know this, or will realize it as they experience how their meds work.

Finally, there are some mental disorders, and many individual cases, that require constant medication, despite of the quality of the other treatment given. For example, full-fleged bi-polar disorder, where a manic or a depressive episode may have very severe consequences.

Re: Stephen Fry reveals he attempted suicide in 2012

#49

Post by 0xdeadbeefbabe »

skore wrote: post #31

At first, I read "Stephen Fry reveals he will attempt suicide in [year]". My mind racing as to "why, why would he ever want to do that?". After having understood the actual title, I'm now unsure which of the two is more confusing or unsettling. I suppose equally so. This world would miss an incredible human being. There was a deeply insightful interview with him where he spoke about self pity and how destructive it i…

Thanks for posting that video. Seems to me he's an expert because of his struggles, and this supports the idea of learning more from failure than success.

Re: Stephen Fry reveals he attempted suicide in 2012

#50

Post by daeken »

ghswa wrote: post #38
marquis wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The many many people in our lives suffering from a chemical/medical issue can not solve their problems with therapy alone. Depression is multi-factored and definitely partly chemical - maybe for some it's solved by spending more time in the sun but for many of our friends it is a serious clinical issue not to be mistaken as having a purely talk-it-out solution. Stephen is an excellent example here: he has the sheer i…

And in these cases the situation can be exasperated by well meaning friends, relatives and practitioners searching for a root cause that, if addressed, will make it all go away.

Jesus christ, yes. This is why many people suffering from mental illness don't talk about their problems: they end up feeling worse because their friends either try to "fix" them, or they end up comforting the friend, or both. It's always with the best of intentions, but I recently had an experience where I truly understood how terminal cancer patients feel; a friend wanted so badly to help, and kept feeling worse and worse about what was going on with me, and I just tried my best to comfort them at my own expense.

When the only reason you haven't killed yourself is that you don't have the strength to do so, the last thing you want to do is have the people you love going down with you.

(Note, before people get worried: I'm on the way up again now, and getting the help I need to ensure I don't get bad again.)

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