*quality

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I have heard him talk about earlier attempts he has had, "when he was young" but its very ballsy to come out and talk about this when it happened so recently. Stephen Fry is an amazing person, and I get more and more respect for the guy, the more I see of him.

A brave and brilliant man.

Yeah, I hope he never succeeds at one of these attempts. The world would be robbed of a really sensitive and ingenious guy.

Hard to imagine the missing brilliance of the trek here without my bi-po-lar acquaintances, allies, ex-girlfriends, and (other)....Whose to say it's not the way we're all supposed to re-wire as a response to or in order to fend-off, the bizarre nature of our captivity??

The condition exists for a reason: Great music, brilliant artists, as well as the cultivation of enormous brass balls, as is surely the case with Sir Fry.(and if she hasn't knighted him already, then the queens a daft, un-hip, oldster who needs her jewelry pawned and her house leveled.

*promote the wonder of variants in brain chemistry

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*brain

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I remember reading last year that he had broken up with his partner of some time. I wonder if he grew despondent over that. I, too, hope he never succeeds as the world will lose a very great man.

I hope he finds peace, comfort and grace (aka, Jesus).

This thought can be short-sighted. For every great musician, artist, etc who suffers from bipolar disorder, there are hundreds who don't produce excellent output due to their condition.

Most of my clients who suffer from this do not produce the creativity that is sometimes erroneously associated with this disorder. It is not a fun problem to have and I hardly think that it exists for a reason. It is rather torturous for those who suffer from it.

*health

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Evolution in action-The most wondrous drugs a combo of knowledge and will. I agree the conditions' torturous, fortunately for bi-poles, they create a world of support around them with their energy and charm...I have come to embrace this as a survival feature most interesting. Most patient with the most needy, to a fault sometimes....

Illness is hardly the next step in evolution or human adaptation.

Would you say the same thing about cancer or heart disease due to a genetic predisposition in one's family genetics (removing the factor of personal choices that would lead to such diseases, like smoking or poor diet)?

what a little bitch. start exercising, get a healthy diet and be smart about your actions in your life.
This guy is smart enough to pull himself out of his funk. Seriously what an idiot.

take away any empathy,human understanding or compassion and we get troglodytes such as @cluhlenbrauck.he represents reverse evolution.

@brycewi19 how would you classify bi-polar?
what definitive test is given to diagnose this condition.
and when diagnosed..what is the best medication to help control/counter-act its debilitating effects?

@chingalera
i quite like your idea of bi-polar.
next step in evolution to adapt to the inherent slavery in our current slanted system.
has a certain poetry to it.

oh and *promote

Promoting this video back to the front page; last published Tuesday, June 11th, 2013 9:56am PDT - promote requested by enoch.

oh noez.
this guy is smart. Goes on record saying self pity is the worst thing in the world. Then he tries to kill himself. Like enough is enough.
This guy seriously sounds like a 16 year old that forgot to hand in his project on time cause the sparkly glue was still drying.

It sounds like you're in the medical profession and know your stuff. I wanted to respond to this comment though because it makes perfect sense from the medical industries point of view. I understand why it would be common sense to classify such behavior as an illness, and I understand why that is the standard perspective, but I think chingalera's point, and one I agree with on several levels, was that it might not be (an illness).

You (I'm assuming) belong to an institution that has the authority on the definition, so today we live with the perspective that people with different forms of mental process have a disability because that "illness" does not allow them to function painlessly within modern society. It's a disruptive abnormality that needs attention and proactive care to correct.

Now, you could also very easily make the point that modern society is the construct, the abnormal element, and similar to what other people are saying already, the mental illness is a coping mechanism, or an "evolution", or a side effect of being conformed to this way of life that very, possibly, maybe, is not healthy or a natural state of existence for our current arrangement of biological systems.

Without getting into a multitude of specifics, when I look at it that way and all the issues we have in our lives, the Human Condition's complete lack of forward progress despite our civil growth, and also consider the fact that I, you, and everyone we know, spend the vast majority of their waking life dedicated to actions that other people tell us we must undertake under penalty of violence or imprisonment, I don't think it's an illness.

I agree that it's very unhealthy to live in that state, but I think it is strongly disputable between the cause manifesting itself internally to the individual, or within the environment they inhabit.

But he didn't kill himself. He's discussing what causes one to pursue such a thing. He knows it's a despicable weakness in human nature, and admits to succumbing to it himself.

If he were truly a weak person, he'd be dead. A strong person understands their shortcomings, failures and weaknesses, and can discuss them openly without feeling vulnerable or insecure.

An insecure or weak person will attest to having no weakness or flaws, and often dismiss or disrespect those who do because they feel better about themselves.

The especially insecure often do that on public discussion forums where they're safely anonymous.

wow a "tl;dr you are insecure" is going to save me time from reading your wall of text.

At no point did I say I have no weaknesses or flaws. I love this guy and repeatedly watched his videos on this site.

he explained having goals is a dumb thing to do. This guy knows he has bi-polar takes medication. Why didn't he look into setting a goal for a healthy life style? research some shit.

seems to me you are all distracted by his accent and posh look into self loathing and suicide.

You are over-simplifying and suggesting that every problem has a clear-cut resolution. That is a weird outlook on life and in the end thoroughly disappointing for you personally.

lol. my comment is to break up the whole kumbaya theme that is repeated in everyone's post. The guy is highly intelligent and been suffering with this his whole life. Why doesn't he apply his knowledge and look into how to life with his problem.
Look shit sucks for many people. But this guy has the smarts to research into what it takes. Sure the interview and HIS comments are merely a perspective, and he is only witnessing an event in his life.

tl;dr
don't die bro. we are all gonna make it

The attitude Stephen Fry refers to of "he's got it all, why is he unhappy?" is something I've heard rather too many times and shows such a poor understanding of the situation. That's the point. He's got it all yet he's unhappy - hence, it's an illness. If you're unhappy when you have reason to be unhappy, that's normal and healthy.

@cluhlenbrauck, how do you know he didn't set these goals? I know he's lost a lot of weight in the last few years, that suggests he did has done this. It's not just a case of setting goals.

Diet and exercise are also keys to overcoming these types of disorders (bipolar, border line personality, etc etc). And building up a support structure of people that understand, who are patient and accepting. Mostly other artists, musicians, some engineers -- though engineering minds tend to want to strip away the unnecessary, which we are to some degree. I say this from experience, not to say that all engineers are assholes, but, well, their OCD asses can't hang most of the time. We are a process that needs to be fixed. WHY IS THIS CABLE GOING THROUGH A SWITCH JUST GET A BIGGER CABLE.

The worst part about the disorder is the cynicism that it builds in oneself, associating with other cynical people, and then realizing that you're on the receiving end of your peer's cynicism and no longer one of the cool kids.

That's actually the worst part because we tend to be social animals -- socially awkward, but still social. And the bridges unwittingly burned and the visible signs of your own social demise, sometimes while in the midst of a manic stage, leads to a potential depressive state, wherein suicide becomes an unending thought.

I've never attempted myself, but I am a climber and have a tendency to walk along the edges of buildings. Not because I would jump but because I enjoy the rush and have little fear of death. I do this for fun outside of these states. Only between a thousand and one million thoughts of suicide in my life and half of them while in a position to inflict this upon myself. Yet I do not. Those're good odds in my book.

I once read that being suicidal gives you the power. The power to do anything for lack of the fear of death. And it's true. I tell everyone I encounter whatever is on my mind; the honest truth, even if it hurts. Everyone who knows me knows that if you want brutal honesty, I can deliver. And I could get up and walk to the ends of the earth because the other choice would be (perceptively) death. Well, then. Time to start running, Forest. Fear is the mind killer fear is the mind killer fear is the mind killer fear is the mind killer.

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind killer.
Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.

*dead

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