Stephen Fry - The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive BBC2 9PM

[ShiverMeMolesworths]

Tonight!

Yes, she was just so calm and humane, wasn't she? Your mum's nurses sound fab, mb.

(My dad is doing really well on galantamine, incidentally- his score on the test they do went from 12/30 to 28/30 in two weeks.)

That's great news about your dad tamum.

(excellent!)

Thank you both

The most important and worthwhile thing I've seen on telly this year. Good for Stephen Fry.

You know what stuck w/me?

At the end, to paraphrase, if you could push a button, and not have this anymore, would you do it?

And every one of them said no.

The last man I ever loved has bipolar disorder. Severely.

He is a neurosurgeon now.

I asked him this once.

He said no. Then he was silent. I said, 'Because then you wouldn't be who you are.'

Then he said the thing that sometimes keeps me going.

'And that is why I love you.'

am glad I'm not the only one who thought that dr was a tosser (the one in the psych unit not the gp) he is just the kind of person you DONT want lording it over you during a psychotic episode, bet he's a real idiot!

Thought Jo Brand was lovely, and SF's sister talking about how it affects her was very touching too. SF came across as such a lovely human being, very honest, humble. I thought this prog was wonderful.

Hope they show it again but as with all good tv it will probably only be shown once in favour of location and last of the summer wine repeats

Cordelia brought tears to my eyes.

SF VERY brave indeed.

Gawd, those black times.

I remember when I got so low w/PND. And out of the blue the ex emailed me.

So I told him the truth.

And he wrote, 'May I phone you?'

And then his voice, 'Oh, I am SO sorry you have to find that place out!'

It's not a nice place.

B/c you get beyond crying.

You just think, 'This is what is best for me.'

expat, YOU'VE brought tears to my eyes

Message withdrawn

No, that's it finished. Agree hosp Dr a pratt...in minority of one in the whole two programmes, though. I also preferred the ordinary people's stories. Spent most of both progs almost in tears. My mum suffered badly with depression (psychiatrist queried bipolar, though I didn't see much evidence of manic episopdes. She did get rather over-excited when she went to see him...thought he was wonderful!) Had auditory and visual hallucinations, was hospitalised twice and had ECT. This was thirty years ago. These programmes dredged up such painful feelings still, memories of what she went through...such a lonely business, I always feel, for the sufferer...and to a lesser extent, for the family.

Stephen Fry did say that if you have it, some ancestor(s)probably had it too....didn't he? In the first prog? 'Who do you think you are?' will have made him think of that, I guess.