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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-

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://www.imdb.com/title/tt0808482/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Fry:_The_Secret_Life_of_the_Manic_Depressive http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Fry:_The_Secret_Life_of... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stephen-Frys-Secret-Manic-Depressive/dp/B002XT38GO http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stephen-Frys-Secret-Manic-Depressive...

raganwald 13y ago
This is an incredibly moving documentary. +1,000,000.
pyre 13y ago
I saw the documentary a couple of years ago. Well worth a watch. (The Carrie Fisher interview ties in with all of the, "That's no snow! Carrie Fisher was snorting cocaine on the Hoth set!" articles that float around)
winter_blue 13y ago
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 "medical disease" like the cold or the flu, you are completely ignoring the human factor. Many cases of depression can actually be solved without drugs -- by addressing the problem at the root of it. "Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy" by David D. Burns, goes into this. (http://www.amazon.com/Feeling-Good-New-Mood-Therapy/dp/0380810336 http://www.amazon.com/Feeling-Good-New-Mood-Therapy/dp/03808...) I don't know why people ignore the real human factor when it comes to depression. Instead they resort to a bunch of drugs that do not address the root (psychological) cause of the depression, but rather just give some temporary fleeting relief.
- tjtrapp 13y ago
  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.
  - thoughtcriminal 13y ago
    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.
- marquis 13y ago
  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 intellect and forwardness of self-examination to know it can't be beat without looking at all factors and wouldn't presume to say that it's solved with drugs, or therapy, alone.
  - ghswa 13y ago
    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.
    - daeken 13y ago
      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.)
iamshs 13y ago
Thank you for the documentary links. And it is admirable of Stephen Fry to come out and say that he attempted suicide. Someone close to me attempted one too, and this documentary puts another light on it. Thank you again. :)
andyhmltn 13y ago
Came here to post this. It's a great documentary that really made me like him a whole lot more.
supersaiyan 13y ago
its on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGDl6-lyfMY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGDl6-lyfMY

raganwald 13y ago

This is an incredibly moving documentary. +1,000,000.

pyre 13y ago

I saw the documentary a couple of years ago. Well worth a watch. (The Carrie Fisher interview ties in with all of the, "That's no snow! Carrie Fisher was snorting cocaine on the Hoth set!" articles that float around)

winter_blue 13y ago

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 "medical disease" like the cold or the flu, you are completely ignoring the human factor. Many cases of depression can actually be solved without drugs -- by addressing the problem at the root of it. "Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy" by David D. Burns, goes into this. (http://www.amazon.com/Feeling-Good-New-Mood-Therapy/dp/0380810336 http://www.amazon.com/Feeling-Good-New-Mood-Therapy/dp/03808...) I don't know why people ignore the real human factor when it comes to depression. Instead they resort to a bunch of drugs that do not address the root (psychological) cause of the depression, but rather just give some temporary fleeting relief.

tjtrapp 13y ago
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.
- thoughtcriminal 13y ago
  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.
marquis 13y ago
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 intellect and forwardness of self-examination to know it can't be beat without looking at all factors and wouldn't presume to say that it's solved with drugs, or therapy, alone.
- ghswa 13y ago
  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.
  - daeken 13y ago
    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.)

iamshs 13y ago

Thank you for the documentary links. And it is admirable of Stephen Fry to come out and say that he attempted suicide. Someone close to me attempted one too, and this documentary puts another light on it. Thank you again. :)

andyhmltn 13y ago

Came here to post this. It's a great documentary that really made me like him a whole lot more.

supersaiyan 13y ago

its on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGDl6-lyfMY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGDl6-lyfMY