Tonight we can journey into Stephen Fry’s tortured mind, and other’s too
who describe the blackness of living with manic depression.
Stephen is one of 4 million sufferers of bipolar disorder in the UK, which has driven him to the brink of suicide. He hopes his frank account will help many others. I’m absolutely convinced it will.
The tragedy is that knowledge and understanding about the condition is not high. It takes on average nine years for a person to receive correct diagnosis. This delay can have a devastating impact on individual lives, destroying relationships, homes and careers, and can result in incorrect treatments being given.
They say it is easier to cure the body than the mind, people fear the stigma of manic depression, but what’s most encouraging about tonight’s programme is knowing that it can be managed. That must provide immense hope to sufferers and their family.
I must confess to having a huge soft spot for Stephen Fry. If I could choose a dinner companion for the evening, it would be him. He was sensational as Oscar Wilde, a man tragically born in the wrong era (but that’s another story) I saw Stephen in a restaurant in Norfolk this summer and he looked magnificent, I was totally captivated and transfixed by his presence. I did keep my star-struck distance, he was having a good time with friends.
The more celebrities who talk about issues like this, the easier it will be to generate publicity and raise awareness. Do watch out for it tonight.
Yes I agree, he was brilliant as Oscar Wilde.. will be watching later.
Thank you, Ellee, for the reminder. I saw the trailer on television a few days ago, and made a mental note to watch it. I had totally forgotten until I read your blog. I agree with you that there is need to raise awareness in this area.
I am so sorry that I won’t be able to watch the programme here in Italy, or not yet, anyway. I admire Fry for speaking out about it. What is often not realised about mental illness is that the relatives can be as much the victims of it as the sufferer. It is so very cruel: if you break your leg [sorry, Tom Amos!] at least people can see it. If the illness is mental it is often not so obvious and you get little sympathy.
Bel, I hope you watched it. I had to make a speech at Toastmasters last night and left out a tape for my sons, but they forgot all about it. I was really disappointed to have missed it.
Ellee,
Nice post.
[…] Welcome to blogging, Stephen Fry By Ellee Stephen Fry’s first post on his new blog has shown him to be something of a geek. Let’s hope he shares some gossipy tit bits about his theatrical life, as well as describing how he copes with depression. […]
Good post Ellie – the more awareness there is about depression, the better. Especially as we have so many good ways to help today. I see rapid transformation in people who finally are ready (and able) to deal with it on a daily basis.
Hi Steve, it’s so good to see Stephen Fry on prime time TV with his American travels. I hope he is well. I agree too about raising awareness about depression. While the body can be easy to treat, the mind is altogether different…