My great grandmother died in a mental hospital in the 1930s. She was suffering from what we would now call post natal depression after the still birth of a baby when she was in middle age. I those days they called it melancholia.
My great grandmother died in a mental hospital in the 1930s. She was suffering from what we would now call post natal depression after the still birth of a baby when she was in middle age. I those days they called it melancholia.
My great grandmother died in a mental hospital in the 1930s. She was suffering from what we would now call post natal depression after the still birth of a baby when she was in middle age. I those days they called it melancholia.
That's terrible and in those days there was no grave or even a burial for still bon babies. Bill Oddie's mother was in a similar situation he discovered on Who Do You Think You Are.
Her first baby died, her family had told her to stop fussing over the baby so she left the baby to cry and it died. She of course blamed herself and was sent to an asylum and never saw Bill again. I was in tears watching
The only people who know what depression is like are those who have lived with or are living with this terrible illness. Street Porter should keep quiet because it is clear that she knows nothing about depression.
I have suffered depression for a long time, and I found her comments upsetting and totally reprehensible.
She has absolutely no idea what she's talking about.
Only people who have suffered with real clinical depression know what it is actually like, and trust me - it is very real.
This is the crux of the matter. Unless you yourself have suffered from depression, you cannot possibly know what you're talking about. If the chemicals aren't working properly in the brain, people end up depressed and there's not a thing they can do about it, only go on medication to try to reverse the problem.
Janet, a usually intelligent woman, is just showing up her ignorance in this area.
I agree with many of the previous posters in that the article is unfair, disparaging and makes very generalised assumptions about those of us who have suffered with depression.
Yes, I would agree with the point made that there is differences to the levels or classifications of depression, who are we to make these judgements? Anyone who has had/have reactive depression, clinical depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or even just someone who has had a really tough time and is struggling to cope with the situation will know how hard it is at that point. The dealbreaker tends to be how it evolves over time. I was first prescribed antidepressants at 17, and like many others just thought the pills would help me out of a tough spot- and like many took them for 3 months till i 'felt better'.
9 years, two full breakdowns and several very low periods and a year with a psychiatrist has led to my eventual diagnosis of severe clinical depression (my psych told me i was the most textbook case she had ever seen), and borderline OCD/Bipolar disorder that may or may not worsen in time.
During my nine years of suffering with this illness i have always spoken openly about it to friends who needed support or advice, but fundamentally I live a 'normal' life - it was only last year I had to take six months off work because I literally could not get out of bed in the morning. Most people wouldnt know i had depression, and when they find out are generally suprised becasue im always 'happy and chirpy'- are these the sort of ppl JSP is referring to? The 'happy' types we then assume are going through a rough patch? We should never make assumptions about other peoples lives until we actually know the situation otherwise we are as guilty as castigating our fellow sufferers Ms SP herself.
Ironically I come from a family where 3 of my immediate family have had severe breakdowns within the past 30 years and another close family member who has suffered with similar levels of depression as I have throughout the majority of his life - so again who are we to make judgements or to say depressions is a 'new' illness when i wholeheartedly believe there is obviously some genetic flaw in the chemical balance of my families brain. There is still so much learn about this disease, so next time Ms SP decides to write some deliberately controversial 'puff piece' castigating it as a 'trendy' or 'modern' disease, she shoul remember to do a little more research into the real sufferers rather than making generalised grand statements based on her own uninformed opinion
This was a really ill Informed, ill thought out piece by a woman I would normally have thought of as intelligent.
The main error she makes throughout the article is to lump feelings of stress and being depressed together, as though they are one and the same thing, when there is a world of difference between the stresses of modern life and suffering from the illness that is depression.
JSP just hands more ammunition to the "pull yourself together" brigade, who have no clue what it feels like to be in the grip of a real depression and therefore, no sympathy either.
To those of you who have been/are affected by it, I wish you better times.
As for Janet, I suggest she does a little real research into her subject in future, before shooting her mouth off.
I agree with many of the previous posters in that the article is unfair, disparaging and makes very generalised assumptions about those of us who have suffered with depression.
Yes, I would agree with the point made that there is differences to the levels or classifications of depression, who are we to make these judgements? Anyone who has had/have reactive depression, clinical depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or even just someone who has had a really tough time and is struggling to cope with the situation will know how hard it is at that point. The dealbreaker tends to be how it evolves over time. I was first prescribed antidepressants at 17, and like many others just thought the pills would help me out of a tough spot- and like many took them for 3 months till i 'felt better'.
9 years, two full breakdowns and several very low periods and a year with a psychiatrist has led to my eventual diagnosis of severe clinical depression (my psych told me i was the most textbook case she had ever seen), and borderline OCD/Bipolar disorder that may or may not worsen in time.
During my nine years of suffering with this illness i have always spoken openly about it to friends who needed support or advice, but fundamentally I live a 'normal' life - it was only last year I had to take six months off work because I literally could not get out of bed in the morning. Most people wouldnt know i had depression, and when they find out are generally suprised becasue im always 'happy and chirpy'- are these the sort of ppl JSP is referring to? The 'happy' types we then assume are going through a rough patch? We should never make assumptions about other peoples lives until we actually know the situation otherwise we are as guilty as castigating our fellow sufferers Ms SP herself.
Ironically I come from a family where 3 of my immediate family have had severe breakdowns within the past 30 years and another close family member who has suffered with similar levels of depression as I have throughout the majority of his life - so again who are we to make judgements or to say depressions is a 'new' illness when i wholeheartedly believe there is obviously some genetic flaw in the chemical balance of my families brain. There is still so much learn about this disease, so next time Ms SP decides to write some deliberately controversial 'puff piece' castigating it as a 'trendy' or 'modern' disease, she shoul remember to do a little more research into the real sufferers rather than making generalised grand statements based on her own uninformed opinion
Excellent post. I have suffered depression on and off for many years. When I was in my late twenties I saw a doctor who said something that changed my life...'you can't blame yourself for getting depression anymore than you can blame yourself for having appendicitus'. I have a supportive family and friends who don't judge me when I'm going through a depressive episode. I take anti-d's if I know that I'mnot coping well.
The 'in the past we just got on with it and baked cakes' view of mental illness, insinuating that when life was hard and we didn't have all the material benefits and stuff we have now then we didn't have time to be depressed is so disingenuous and simplistic that it beggars belief that a presumably intelligent woman can spout it. It should be thrown in the big rubbish bin of totally unhelpful analogies.
Sorry, but as someone who suffers from depression, I was offended by Ms Street-Porter's comments. She seemed to be implying that people who have the condition are weak or whinging about nothing.
It took me years to seek help, following self harm and three suicide attempts. I was too afraid to consult my doctor, because I didn't want to be seen as a time waster.
I was dignosed with it as well in 2002 and put on a course of Seroxat (now removed from the market) which I disgarded after about 4 days after reading reportas about it. I paid for therapy which was effective. GPs shouldnt diagnose depression because they dont have the skills. there are people who suffer seriously with this and they should be supported. But I run a company where people have claimed depression and gone on the sick to mask poor performance which in one case was due to the illness. In the others was a smokescreen - and their contracts were ended. It is difficult and expensive to prove one way or another - like I said, this decades back pain...
Whilst her particular article may be flawed, I dont think there is anything to gained by treating depression like a sacred cow, as if we cannot say that some people simply are faking it, or that its become a 'trendy' illness which people use as an excuse for their behaviour or their lack of success in life.
Doing so does not attack those who ARE genuinely ill with depression, in fact it re-establishes the respect due to REAL sufferers.
That's how I feel about bi-polar disorder. Some of these people like Robbie Williams, Sophie Anderton and Kerry Katona are not bi-polar. They are attention-seeking morons.
What they have is called coming of a coke-high.
My sister is a classic bi-polar case and let me tell you, living with one was no fun. We didn't know what the hell was wrong with her. She is near as dammit to being a proper genius and she is mentally unstable as well. She has the manias (which are not as great as people think they are, since not only do they bring out a creative side in some people, they also inspire people to shoplift, screw loads of people and whatnot) and the lows.
That's how I feel about bi-polar disorder. Some of these people like Robbie Williams, Sophie Anderton and Kerry Katona are not bi-polar. They are attention-seeking morons.
What they have is called coming of a coke-high.
.
Prolonged use of psychoactive drugs can make someone mentally ill; but they are still ill. It is a bit of a slippery slope to divide the unwell into 'deserving' and 'undeserving'. Many a young person has fried their brain one way or another, but I would still like to see them receive the treatment they need.
I agree with many of the previous posters in that the article is unfair, disparaging and makes very generalised assumptions about those of us who have suffered with depression.
Yes, I would agree with the point made that there is differences to the levels or classifications of depression, who are we to make these judgements? Anyone who has had/have reactive depression, clinical depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or even just someone who has had a really tough time and is struggling to cope with the situation will know how hard it is at that point. The dealbreaker tends to be how it evolves over time. I was first prescribed antidepressants at 17, and like many others just thought the pills would help me out of a tough spot- and like many took them for 3 months till i 'felt better'.
9 years, two full breakdowns and several very low periods and a year with a psychiatrist has led to my eventual diagnosis of severe clinical depression (my psych told me i was the most textbook case she had ever seen), and borderline OCD/Bipolar disorder that may or may not worsen in time.
During my nine years of suffering with this illness i have always spoken openly about it to friends who needed support or advice, but fundamentally I live a 'normal' life - it was only last year I had to take six months off work because I literally could not get out of bed in the morning. Most people wouldnt know i had depression, and when they find out are generally suprised becasue im always 'happy and chirpy'- are these the sort of ppl JSP is referring to? The 'happy' types we then assume are going through a rough patch? We should never make assumptions about other peoples lives until we actually know the situation otherwise we are as guilty as castigating our fellow sufferers Ms SP herself.
Ironically I come from a family where 3 of my immediate family have had severe breakdowns within the past 30 years and another close family member who has suffered with similar levels of depression as I have throughout the majority of his life - so again who are we to make judgements or to say depressions is a 'new' illness when i wholeheartedly believe there is obviously some genetic flaw in the chemical balance of my families brain. There is still so much learn about this disease, so next time Ms SP decides to write some deliberately controversial 'puff piece' castigating it as a 'trendy' or 'modern' disease, she shoul remember to do a little more research into the real sufferers rather than making generalised grand statements based on her own uninformed opinion
Great post, Lildeakin.
Sad thing is, if someone directed JSP to this thread, and she made the effort to read it, I would imagine she would still argue she was 'right' and subsequently dismiss some of the heartfelt circumstances described in this thread as the ramplings of self-pitying ninnies. Because that's the kind of person she is, and people like her very rarely change. Again, pity her ignorance and her 'blindness'.
Isn't it well known that Kerry Katona is on medication for her bi-polar, and if she was making it up, wouldn't it be a very dangerous thing to take if she had no need to? Her behaviour on THAT This Morning interview was supported by others saying that bi-polar medication can cause side-effects like that.
Isn't it well known that Kerry Katona is on medication for her bi-polar, and if she was making it up, wouldn't it be a very dangerous thing to take if she had no need to? Her behaviour on THAT This Morning interview was supported by others saying that bi-polar medication can cause side-effects like that.
She seemed off her face to me. I don't doubt there is something wrong with her though.
Bi-polar seems to be "illness du jour" among a lot of celebrities lately and there is no way that all that claim to have it, have it. It's a bit like PCOS a while ago-- there is no way, no how that Victoria Beckham had PCOS.
Prolonged use of psychoactive drugs can make someone mentally ill; but they are still ill. It is a bit of a slippery slope to divide the unwell into 'deserving' and 'undeserving'. Many a young person has fried their brain one way or another, but I would still like to see them receive the treatment they need.
I didn't say they didn't deserve treatment, just that they weren't bi-polar. Attention seeking itself must be some sign of mental illness.
Allison Pearson has responded
One of the women she mentions is Allison Pearson, who devoted most of her final column for the Mail to her depression. Pearson was so irritated by Porter’s column that she told the London Evening Standard yesterday: “The good news is depression is a manageable condition and you can get better. Unfortunately there is no treatment for being an unfeeling b***, so Janet Street Porter has no hope of recovery.”
Street Porter’s article, Pearson thinks, is wrong, ignorant and deeply cruel. I agree that Street Porter is wrong. But it’s no wonder she’s so good at avoiding depression. She has completely mastered the cognitive behavioural therapy of patting oneself on the back. She can’t stop giving herself pats on the back. For example: “I’m not a complete cynic, but I am a 100 per cent ruthless realist. I’ve written two books about my no-nonsense attitude to life.”
Alastair Campbell, a big campaigner for depression and mental health related charities has posted his response here, which was also printed in the Mirror: http://www.alastaircampbell.org/blog.php
I agree with every word. What Janet did here was very damaging indeed. Even if she wasn't attacking the illness itself, her words can only add to the stigma of mental illnesses.
Alastair Campbell, a big campaigner for depression and mental health related charities has posted his response here, which was also printed in the Mirror: http://www.alastaircampbell.org/blog.php
I agree with every word. What Janet did here was very damaging indeed. Even if she wasn't attacking the illness itself, her words can only add to the stigma of mental illnesses.
Excellent article. The sad thing is, it is obvious that JSP won't give the tiniest damn for any pain she causes - she has never respected anything except money and material success, and the last thing that might touch her deeply buried conscience is distress caused to people who are not rich, influential or powerful .
Janet Street Porter is an ignorant cretin who doesn't know what she is talking about.
She is a creature who loves the sound of her own voice (unpleasant as it is). But the truth is, she has nothing of much interest to say about anything.
She knows nothing about mental illness, particularly depression but deems it appropriate to pontificate about it.
Perhaps she could team up with Tom Cruise - another moron who likes spouting off on subjects he has no knowledge of whatsoever.
Has Street Porter jumped from being the roving editor or whatever with the Daily Torygraph to the Daily Mail? Bit of a comedown for this arch-narcissist.
A long, long, period of silence is required of this silly woman.
Sorry, but as someone who suffers from depression, I was offended by Ms Street-Porter's comments. She seemed to be implying that people who have the condition are weak or whinging about nothing.
It took me years to seek help, following self harm and three suicide attempts. I was too afraid to consult my doctor, because I didn't want to be seen as a time waster.
Street Porter moaning about other people being "weak" or "whingeing" just shows her ignorance of the subject. It also showcases her narcissism quotient. Perhaps a visit to a therapist is in order for her.
Allison Pearson has responded
One of the women she mentions is Allison Pearson, who devoted most of her final column for the Mail to her depression. Pearson was so irritated by Porter’s column that she told the London Evening Standard yesterday: “The good news is depression is a manageable condition and you can get better. Unfortunately there is no treatment for being an unfeeling b***, so Janet Street Porter has no hope of recovery.”
Street Porter’s article, Pearson thinks, is wrong, ignorant and deeply cruel. I agree that Street Porter is wrong. But it’s no wonder she’s so good at avoiding depression. She has completely mastered the cognitive behavioural therapy of patting oneself on the back. She can’t stop giving herself pats on the back. For example: “I’m not a complete cynic, but I am a 100 per cent ruthless realist. I’ve written two books about my no-nonsense attitude to life.”
Interesting. This just points up the complete lack of self-awareness in Street Porter. She doesn't seem to realise that in calling herself a "ruthless realist" she is showcasing her arrogance and disdain for others. (Lack of empathy).
She is a mouthy, unpleasant woman who needs to garner some insight from somewhere. Just reading some of her autobiography is instructive as to her anti-social attitudes - particularly towards her parents.
I know I am going to be murdered here for saying this but I agree with a lot of what she says!! When you think of the stress and horror our parents lived thru in World War II and yet continued on in life, produced children and just got on with it. So many people who are facing sad events in their lives, separation, divorce, death of parent etc., just get on with it and now we seem to have produced a generation of people who cannot cope with anything!! Families are breaking up while the parents find themselves!! Not being happy is used as an excuse for any kind of selfish appalling behaviour in a marriage. Of course there are people who do sufferred from clinical depression but I find it hard to believe as we read YET ANOTHER autobiography from some actress about her trials in life and her "bi polar" disease!! I remember years ago Britt Eckland gave numerious interviews discussing her "breakdown and eating disease" when she broke up with Rod Steward when in actually fact she was just terribly sad that the relationship had not worked out!! Every famous person today seems to suffer from the bi-polar condition, used to be called manic depression!!
Just because people were preceived as "getting on with it" doesn't mean they didn't suffer. Many soldiers in WW1 suffered from "shell shock" (post traumatic stress disorder) and some were executed....... Many people suffered privately and had no outlet for their illness.
Brit Ekland's suffering from bulimia suggests psychological problems - not "sadness" at a relationship breaking up!!!!!:rolleyes:
Saying "every" famous person suffers from bi-polar is, of course, not true. Perhaps this gives one an idea of the prevalence of mental illness in society generally? :rolleyes:
I didn't say they didn't deserve treatment, just that they weren't bi-polar. Attention seeking itself must be some sign of mental illness.
Yes, but not "mental illness" as such, but personality disorders such as narcissistic or histrionic behaviour: Street Porter exhibits the arrogance of the self aggrandiser.
Comments
That's awful...poor woman
So sad:(
That's terrible and in those days there was no grave or even a burial for still bon babies. Bill Oddie's mother was in a similar situation he discovered on Who Do You Think You Are.
Her first baby died, her family had told her to stop fussing over the baby so she left the baby to cry and it died. She of course blamed herself and was sent to an asylum and never saw Bill again. I was in tears watching
This is the crux of the matter. Unless you yourself have suffered from depression, you cannot possibly know what you're talking about. If the chemicals aren't working properly in the brain, people end up depressed and there's not a thing they can do about it, only go on medication to try to reverse the problem.
Janet, a usually intelligent woman, is just showing up her ignorance in this area.
Yes, I would agree with the point made that there is differences to the levels or classifications of depression, who are we to make these judgements? Anyone who has had/have reactive depression, clinical depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or even just someone who has had a really tough time and is struggling to cope with the situation will know how hard it is at that point. The dealbreaker tends to be how it evolves over time. I was first prescribed antidepressants at 17, and like many others just thought the pills would help me out of a tough spot- and like many took them for 3 months till i 'felt better'.
9 years, two full breakdowns and several very low periods and a year with a psychiatrist has led to my eventual diagnosis of severe clinical depression (my psych told me i was the most textbook case she had ever seen), and borderline OCD/Bipolar disorder that may or may not worsen in time.
During my nine years of suffering with this illness i have always spoken openly about it to friends who needed support or advice, but fundamentally I live a 'normal' life - it was only last year I had to take six months off work because I literally could not get out of bed in the morning. Most people wouldnt know i had depression, and when they find out are generally suprised becasue im always 'happy and chirpy'- are these the sort of ppl JSP is referring to? The 'happy' types we then assume are going through a rough patch? We should never make assumptions about other peoples lives until we actually know the situation otherwise we are as guilty as castigating our fellow sufferers Ms SP herself.
Ironically I come from a family where 3 of my immediate family have had severe breakdowns within the past 30 years and another close family member who has suffered with similar levels of depression as I have throughout the majority of his life - so again who are we to make judgements or to say depressions is a 'new' illness when i wholeheartedly believe there is obviously some genetic flaw in the chemical balance of my families brain. There is still so much learn about this disease, so next time Ms SP decides to write some deliberately controversial 'puff piece' castigating it as a 'trendy' or 'modern' disease, she shoul remember to do a little more research into the real sufferers rather than making generalised grand statements based on her own uninformed opinion
The main error she makes throughout the article is to lump feelings of stress and being depressed together, as though they are one and the same thing, when there is a world of difference between the stresses of modern life and suffering from the illness that is depression.
JSP just hands more ammunition to the "pull yourself together" brigade, who have no clue what it feels like to be in the grip of a real depression and therefore, no sympathy either.
To those of you who have been/are affected by it, I wish you better times.
As for Janet, I suggest she does a little real research into her subject in future, before shooting her mouth off.
Excellent post. I have suffered depression on and off for many years. When I was in my late twenties I saw a doctor who said something that changed my life...'you can't blame yourself for getting depression anymore than you can blame yourself for having appendicitus'. I have a supportive family and friends who don't judge me when I'm going through a depressive episode. I take anti-d's if I know that I'mnot coping well.
I thought the article was ill researched.
A good motto for all these 'look at clever old me sneering at the less worthy' columnists.
I was dignosed with it as well in 2002 and put on a course of Seroxat (now removed from the market) which I disgarded after about 4 days after reading reportas about it. I paid for therapy which was effective. GPs shouldnt diagnose depression because they dont have the skills. there are people who suffer seriously with this and they should be supported. But I run a company where people have claimed depression and gone on the sick to mask poor performance which in one case was due to the illness. In the others was a smokescreen - and their contracts were ended. It is difficult and expensive to prove one way or another - like I said, this decades back pain...
That's how I feel about bi-polar disorder. Some of these people like Robbie Williams, Sophie Anderton and Kerry Katona are not bi-polar. They are attention-seeking morons.
What they have is called coming of a coke-high.
My sister is a classic bi-polar case and let me tell you, living with one was no fun. We didn't know what the hell was wrong with her. She is near as dammit to being a proper genius and she is mentally unstable as well. She has the manias (which are not as great as people think they are, since not only do they bring out a creative side in some people, they also inspire people to shoplift, screw loads of people and whatnot) and the lows.
Prolonged use of psychoactive drugs can make someone mentally ill; but they are still ill. It is a bit of a slippery slope to divide the unwell into 'deserving' and 'undeserving'. Many a young person has fried their brain one way or another, but I would still like to see them receive the treatment they need.
Great post, Lildeakin.
Sad thing is, if someone directed JSP to this thread, and she made the effort to read it, I would imagine she would still argue she was 'right' and subsequently dismiss some of the heartfelt circumstances described in this thread as the ramplings of self-pitying ninnies. Because that's the kind of person she is, and people like her very rarely change. Again, pity her ignorance and her 'blindness'.
She seemed off her face to me. I don't doubt there is something wrong with her though.
Bi-polar seems to be "illness du jour" among a lot of celebrities lately and there is no way that all that claim to have it, have it. It's a bit like PCOS a while ago-- there is no way, no how that Victoria Beckham had PCOS.
I didn't say they didn't deserve treatment, just that they weren't bi-polar. Attention seeking itself must be some sign of mental illness.
One of the women she mentions is Allison Pearson, who devoted most of her final column for the Mail to her depression. Pearson was so irritated by Porter’s column that she told the London Evening Standard yesterday: “The good news is depression is a manageable condition and you can get better. Unfortunately there is no treatment for being an unfeeling b***, so Janet Street Porter has no hope of recovery.”
Street Porter’s article, Pearson thinks, is wrong, ignorant and deeply cruel. I agree that Street Porter is wrong. But it’s no wonder she’s so good at avoiding depression. She has completely mastered the cognitive behavioural therapy of patting oneself on the back. She can’t stop giving herself pats on the back. For example: “I’m not a complete cynic, but I am a 100 per cent ruthless realist. I’ve written two books about my no-nonsense attitude to life.”
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/andrewmcfbrown/100040154/janet-street-porter-is-talking-rubbish-depression-is-not-the-new-trendy-illness-for-women/
I agree with every word. What Janet did here was very damaging indeed. Even if she wasn't attacking the illness itself, her words can only add to the stigma of mental illnesses.
Excellent article. The sad thing is, it is obvious that JSP won't give the tiniest damn for any pain she causes - she has never respected anything except money and material success, and the last thing that might touch her deeply buried conscience is distress caused to people who are not rich, influential or powerful .
She is a creature who loves the sound of her own voice (unpleasant as it is). But the truth is, she has nothing of much interest to say about anything.
She knows nothing about mental illness, particularly depression but deems it appropriate to pontificate about it.
Perhaps she could team up with Tom Cruise - another moron who likes spouting off on subjects he has no knowledge of whatsoever.
Has Street Porter jumped from being the roving editor or whatever with the Daily Torygraph to the Daily Mail? Bit of a comedown for this arch-narcissist.
A long, long, period of silence is required of this silly woman.
Street Porter moaning about other people being "weak" or "whingeing" just shows her ignorance of the subject. It also showcases her narcissism quotient. Perhaps a visit to a therapist is in order for her.
Interesting. This just points up the complete lack of self-awareness in Street Porter. She doesn't seem to realise that in calling herself a "ruthless realist" she is showcasing her arrogance and disdain for others. (Lack of empathy).
She is a mouthy, unpleasant woman who needs to garner some insight from somewhere. Just reading some of her autobiography is instructive as to her anti-social attitudes - particularly towards her parents.
Horrid, horrid, stultifyingly boring woman. :yawn::yawn::sleep:
Just because people were preceived as "getting on with it" doesn't mean they didn't suffer. Many soldiers in WW1 suffered from "shell shock" (post traumatic stress disorder) and some were executed....... Many people suffered privately and had no outlet for their illness.
Brit Ekland's suffering from bulimia suggests psychological problems - not "sadness" at a relationship breaking up!!!!!:rolleyes:
Saying "every" famous person suffers from bi-polar is, of course, not true. Perhaps this gives one an idea of the prevalence of mental illness in society generally? :rolleyes:
Yes, but not "mental illness" as such, but personality disorders such as narcissistic or histrionic behaviour: Street Porter exhibits the arrogance of the self aggrandiser.