I don't agree with what he says but I do think that celebrities are more likely to get help because they are famous.
I don't think they get help because they're famous, Melanie - it's more likely because they have money and can access whatever private healthcare they need, quickly.
I bet there are a lot of average everyday people that don't get help that they deserve because it's almost like you have to be really really bad and a danger to yourself/others otherwise they just send you away with a flea in your ear.
If that has been your experience, you should really think about changing your doctor.
If you belong to a large(ish) health centre or group practice, you may well be able to opt to see another of the registered GPs Most GPs have 'special interests' so it's worth asking if there's anyone at your practice with a particular interest in mental health.
I bet there are a lot of people suffering who are stuck in no man's land then you see all these celebrities who are bipolar who I bet get all the help they need privately.
They might well do, but there isn't an amount of money on this earth that can compensate for being seriously mentally unwell.
I'd bet that eg Stephen Fry would trade his wealth this minute to be free of his condition.
I guess it's human nature to think that others have things better/easier than we do but it's often not the case.
I don't think it's just mental health but in general it seems to have become fashionable to play the victim because any attention is still attention for a lot of people. People these days seem to like telling people about their illness because it makes for a good sob story. It's almost like people have become proud to tell people they're the victim of something or someone because it makes everyone feel sorry for them.
If they get away with putting you on a waiting list - they will. That's unusually for counselling/therapy.
Option B, C and in fact the only other option is putting you onto anti-depressants with their 'one size fits all' mentality.
Rather than getting to know why you are permanently sad and the only relief is being manic - they push you in and out so they can get their next number in.
they put you on a waiting list because because there aren`t enough places, it`s no different to going on a waiting list for an operation.
mania isn`t a relief, many people are hospitalised and diagnosed during a manic episode and literally lose their minds, it`s very destructive.
I have felt like I needed to do something not to get noticed but to be taken seriously in needing help and that is a dangerous place to be.
I once self harmed so badly that I could easily write in my own blood but when I showed a mh nurse this he said "why have you done that" before looking at me weird and just informing me that the waiting list for CBT could be several months.
he was right, maybe she thought you were play-acting to queue jump patients who are more in need.
ask to see a psychiatrist.
if you have already had cbt why are you not practising what you were taught?
And with a few ill-thought out statements, Bill Oddie sets back fighting the stigma of mental illness. It's bad enough we have people wrongly thinking that people with mental health issues are using them to live the life of Riley on welfare, Oddie's statements will only enforce prejudice and negative viewpoints of people who have such conditions, whether famous or not.
Maybe, but being wealthy does mean you are better able to access support and treatment, this is the big difference with celebs.
And it the leads to this misconception that anyone struggling with MH problems should just 'get help', pop along to the Priory and be cured - in the real world it doesn't work like that!
What really makes me cringe is when I hear people, especially air head teens, say things like, "I'm so OCD", "I'm a bit bit bipolar", trivialising very real and distressing illness.
Well that is the crux of the issue isn't it. Some people might exaggerate their emotions in order to get sympathy & attention or cos its seen as "hip". The show Drifters perfectly mocked this attitude recently.
The condition people like that are suffering from is NARCISISM...
I think this is a fuss about nothing. Bill Oddie's words are being twisted to suit the purposes of the media and certain commentators on mental health. No publicity is bad publicity I suppose.
Personally I think celebs speaking about their mental health issues and mental health in general brings mixed blessings. You could argue that the success these people enjoy, achieved in spite of mental health issues, makes those of us who find life very difficult indeed, and tend to fail to achieve anything much of the time, look pretty bad. On a bad day it makes me feel a complete waste of space. Fortunately, on a good day it makes me feel optimistic, but there are fewer good than bad days.
I think he's talking rot personally because he mentions Stephen Fry and Ruby Wax in this piece - BOTH of whom achieved fame or celebrity long before they went public with their mental illnesses.
Personally I think it's consider "cool" to have bi-polar episodes so it makes the lives of the celebrity feel more on-the-edge and jaded in some way. It all adds to the character.
What a silly thing to say, that's just like saying some people are making cancer fashionable! As a mental illness is a illness just like cancer. :rolleyes:
Personally I think it's consider "cool" to have bi-polar episodes so it makes the lives of the celebrity feel more on-the-edge and jaded in some way. It all adds to the character.
I think everyone would consider bi-polar episodes cool if it were not for the consequence. It is the after affects which are most certainly not cool.
“I have stepped back from my charity work for bipolar. Despite having had my own experience with the condition, I fear that it has become something of a 'fashionable’ condition to have in this day and age.
“It is a serious condition, but, suddenly, people are making careers out of it. Stephen Fry brought a lot of attention to it, and Ruby Wax,
Fairly negative views, and I don't agree with them, but in the context of his other quotes......
“I rather think that too much can be made of these things by celebrities, and I often don’t feel it does an awful lot of good,”
“I’m not knocking it,” adds Oddie. “I am just saying that I don’t think celebrities are necessarily the people to bring true understanding of the condition.”
I don’t think that the life of a celebrity can be compared to, or relatable to, a normal, everyday life, so I don’t know how much good it really does.”
I think it is clear his gripe is the focus on "celebs" distorts the perception of the reality of the condition. If people want to know what mental illness is like, is Steven Fry the best example of the effects and potential consequences?
I'm with Mr Oddie, I am not knocking the work done by individuals, but taken as a whole, the representation of the some mental conditions may not be doing those who suffer with it, any favours.
Going to Gentlemen's clubs and dining at the Savoy.:D
I think the loveable curmudgeon Oddie has a valid point. Some folk may not have made their names due to their illnesses, but seem to have dined out on them ever since, making it a kind of career move. And I'm not sure that is a useful thing for other people with the same illnesses.
They may be dining out on them to a degree, as you say, but most sufferers with some degree of fame or notoriety are also raising awareness of these illnesses, often raising money, and are often involved with related charities.
Take Stephen Fry as an example given - he didn't just carry on with his work, he had a breakdown and disappeared for a time, but he now has made documentaries regarding manic depression, is involved with Stand to Reason and is president of Mind. His involvement with these charities doesn't hinder them, it helps them. They gain by having him involved with their charity. Most charities are begging for a famous person to work with them, to be their voice.
I don't think they have 'made a career' out of it, but there does seem to be a bit of a fashion of celebs (both major and minor) claiming to be bipolar or to suffer from Aspergers or something. I don't know if they are genuine or doing it for attention or what.
Comments
What, like setting up trestle tables in community halls and selling second hand items off them, while also selling tickets for a raffle?
Oh you can do whatever you wish but if you genuinely want to make things better you will have to think about it.
Divert back to original thread
If that has been your experience, you should really think about changing your doctor.
If you belong to a large(ish) health centre or group practice, you may well be able to opt to see another of the registered GPs Most GPs have 'special interests' so it's worth asking if there's anyone at your practice with a particular interest in mental health.
They might well do, but there isn't an amount of money on this earth that can compensate for being seriously mentally unwell.
I'd bet that eg Stephen Fry would trade his wealth this minute to be free of his condition.
I guess it's human nature to think that others have things better/easier than we do but it's often not the case.
The old mods have struck again.
Care to enlighten us all?
TBF, it's not that cryptic.
What does it mean?
Clearly other people understood.
Sheesh.
Tits
mania isn`t a relief, many people are hospitalised and diagnosed during a manic episode and literally lose their minds, it`s very destructive.
ah right.
he was right, maybe she thought you were play-acting to queue jump patients who are more in need.
ask to see a psychiatrist.
if you have already had cbt why are you not practising what you were taught?
Well that is the crux of the issue isn't it. Some people might exaggerate their emotions in order to get sympathy & attention or cos its seen as "hip". The show Drifters perfectly mocked this attitude recently.
The condition people like that are suffering from is NARCISISM...
Personally I think celebs speaking about their mental health issues and mental health in general brings mixed blessings. You could argue that the success these people enjoy, achieved in spite of mental health issues, makes those of us who find life very difficult indeed, and tend to fail to achieve anything much of the time, look pretty bad. On a bad day it makes me feel a complete waste of space. Fortunately, on a good day it makes me feel optimistic, but there are fewer good than bad days.
Personally I think it's consider "cool" to have bi-polar episodes so it makes the lives of the celebrity feel more on-the-edge and jaded in some way. It all adds to the character.
I think everyone would consider bi-polar episodes cool if it were not for the consequence. It is the after affects which are most certainly not cool.
I think it is clear his gripe is the focus on "celebs" distorts the perception of the reality of the condition. If people want to know what mental illness is like, is Steven Fry the best example of the effects and potential consequences?
I'm with Mr Oddie, I am not knocking the work done by individuals, but taken as a whole, the representation of the some mental conditions may not be doing those who suffer with it, any favours.
Take Stephen Fry as an example given - he didn't just carry on with his work, he had a breakdown and disappeared for a time, but he now has made documentaries regarding manic depression, is involved with Stand to Reason and is president of Mind. His involvement with these charities doesn't hinder them, it helps them. They gain by having him involved with their charity. Most charities are begging for a famous person to work with them, to be their voice.
Has GIna Rio had 'HIGH TEA' at the RITZ yet????;)