Stephen Fry discusses his manic episodes - The Not So Secret Life of the Manic Depressive

#bbc

[chadnoel]

He’s right. It’s like knowing more then you need to ; then you stifle back down to earth and think your trash .... hard to come of this thought process

[lunarballoonistxo]

After having two manic episodes back to back last holiday season, Stephen Fry is really getting me through them.

[francoiseloupie]

Yes Stephen. I feel like Joan of Arc too when on a manic episode. I can have conversations with anyone I want. Simple telepathy, really.

[EBiz-tvjq]

I think my cope is to have strong routines in my life.
Sort of - workouts (I go to gym 4x week for bodybuilding), morning routine (6am up, stretch, few squats, repeating my life aims, cold shower etc.), scheduled work - I schedule around focus areas, e.g. I have priorities and then just focus on a single thing, step by step.

so when I feel high I sort of already am in the right spot - doing my plan. The better my aims and plan, the less I need to do something else. E.g. I can be overexcited, but I still gonna do the task in front of me.
When I feel like shit, I still got to do the things I have planned. E.g. how many times I have been depressed, especially over my last ex girlfriend, and I still got up and went to work out and so on. It was extremely hard and everything inside screamed "Nooo! you are just tiring yourself more, Nooo, stop, go and sleep instead!" And I think it helped me greatly.

I could sum it up as just pure willpower.
It helps dealing with it. Not curing, but dealing. Being in charge.
I also have experienced falling into addictions, but I have learned at this age to spot any pull right away. Usually I stop, when I feel that any activity or substance; I am using/doing it upon a psychological cue. E.g. drinking whenever you are sad will make you into a drunk. drinking very rarely when sad (or happy, or meeting friends), is much less probably making you a drunk. DON't BE CONSISTENT with harmful things, even if they make you feel better for a second

[te]

Was that a reference to Bigmouth Strikes Again by The Smiths?

[ambarrose]

I'm so sorry that Jeremy Brett for example never arrived at this time. He died in part because of the extreme medication for this problem in the 90's. Today it's so different the approaching from either doctors and people in general. Medication it's different too.

[paulflint]

Just how I felt, then severe mania hit. One hell of a trip, was God during that and paranoid in a good way that I believed everyone was spying on me because I was powerful and fantastic. rage and absolute euphoria went hand in hand too. I also became delirious to the point that shopping confused me and the devil was talking to me. 2008.

[Koinidj]

Very true
Is the full video available?

[chrishicks]

Does anyone know the program this was broadcast on, or have a link to the full interview?
For someone who has made so many laughs n brought so much joy to feel like this is a conundrum in itself
Keep in their Mr Fry (should be sir - this clip explains so much why he turned 1 down) we would loose so so much in loosing you, at the same time we don't understand the pressure this gives you, ur a Legend and a national treasure and I'm glad your still presenting/writing and the rest of your impressive resamy, I salute you non-sir and bow down to your knowledge, all the best

[joedantoniog]

I'd like to meet this chap, I've has 3 only manic episodes in 20 years but believe that aside from some details there is some unbelievable truths

[pinkiepurplez]

For me, I notice that I become disorganized, delusional, tremoring and childlike. But some of the good experience is that your brain seems to not gave a care in the world, which is why impulsiveness also shoots up. The guilty pleasure of euphoria will always haunt me as a stable bipolar individual. Im working to understand I may or may not find the same joy i felt in my manic episode.

[frauleinhohenzollern]

I feel like I go through this cycle once every 2 weeks.

[Amputations]

* connection to the universe * YESSSS!

[westdivision]

The universal conscious is shifting . Only some can feel .

[TenderHooligan]

Can someone tell me what the chap means "when you go a little high"? Does he mean high in the sense that his mood just goes the opposite as down?

[dzarren]

What's the last thing he says, "It's an absolute when you think about it."
I can't hear what he says here.

[Jamjosh]

*looks at my closet that i just color coded* Oh god

[duncan-rmi]

why has this been taken off iplayer? it's not available to watch anywhere now. I pay my license fee. what the fuck, BBC? what the fuck?

[paulwilliams]

Had absolute connection to universe. Jesus was definitely BP psychosis, I've been there, felt I'm control of sectioned 😂. I'm still at risk in mania, bit do take my meds.

[thedeathsentence]

I hate my mania episode. I can make all the sh**ts that I’m not supposed to do.
I felt impotent 😢