Now that the news of Paul Whatuira is doing the rounds (Not wnating to discuss anything sub judice and without the full facts) I've noticed from a lot of the comments on other message boards that the stigma around mental health issues is still quite strong.

This really saddens me given the efforts of various people and bodies to combat this that it seems to still be quite prevalent. It's even more shocking when you consider that one in four of us in Britain will be affected by mental health issues at some point in our life. Why is it that for any other type of illness people are generally supportive but not for anything affecting a persons mental state or emotions? Some of the comments on the threads (subsiquently removed) on other sites have really p155ed me off and other peoples general acceptance of such comments seems even worse. If such ignorance was shown towards gay people or ethnic minorities the attitudes of other contributors would be rightly quite different.

Rant over.

It could be argued that learning to laugh at something is the first step to genuinely addressing it. For example the work sportsmen do to destigmatise male cancers. Its about breaking taboo subjects into chunks that people can comprehend.

I don't know what its like abroad, but perhaps illness of the mind is perceived in this country as a tangent of emotion which traditionally should be supressed. Stiff upper lip and all that.

One wing of my family has a tendency to this sort of thing (feel free to joke at this point - I don't mind), and I have learned to rationalise with myself when the blue starts to come down (as has my sister and dad). Without wishing to be immodest, I think the benefit of being fairly intelligent is that I can recognise symptoms and ward them off at the pass.

I think a lot of it is down to people not knowing the facts about a lot of mental illnesses. People then assume the worst and that fear leads to prejudice.

I think people tend to struggle more coping with others whose illness (or difference) is not necessarily visible.

Isn't it?

I mean people would rightfully view groundless suspicion, ignorance and prejudice with the same disdain not that being an ethnic minority or gay is an illness or negative.

According to the Catholic church one of them is.....

It is a pity that mental illness still gets the bad press, after all one in five people are affected by mental illness in some form. The media highlights sporting personalitiess, and I recall a heavy weight boxer getting a real turnover by the press. Sadly very little coverage when he had a full recovery.

I remember Robbie Paul coming to the Uni to do a talk about mental health a couple of years ago, he was very insightful and very honest about his own struggles on that front. He said it was a very difficult thing to broach with other players, but that when he was able, he'd been surprised how many others had experienced similar difficulties.

All good stuff this folks. More so because it's being dealt with in a serious and considerative manner. Some other boards/there posters should take note



One of the best / most informative reads about, IMHO, is "The Little Book of The Mind" - from down this neck of the woods - and was one of the best sources of information I've come across.

I did some research/work a few months back for a couple of self help groups down here and it really opened my eyes to the nonsense that people have to cope with and the difficulties that some people have to face.

Being viewed as "weak" and/or "damaged" was a reoccurring view that was raised on a regular basis.

MBBB's stats are, at the same time, both enlightening and frightening.

I have suffered from stress and depression for most of my adult life (no easy gags guys

) and know all about what it is like to suffer, particularly when other people have no idea exactly what is going on. Despite my oft message board personality, I have always been one who tries to have fun at any event/in the workplace etc and generally I try to see the day through with a laugh and a joke.

However, this just seems to make the situation worse. The amount of times I have heard people say "How can someone like YOU suffer from depression?" almost as if I am merely making things up in order to try and get some sympathy. Sympathy does not work as it only makes the problem worse (for me) but a bit of understanding is what is needed.

However, when I meet people who have similar "issues" it is heartening to hear that they suffer from exactly the same syptoms as myself as it therefore helps to know that I am not as "mad" as I perhaps think I am at time.

Depression is a very lonely illness and cannot really be understood by non-sufferers or trained psychologists but it is something that can be coped with, given the right support.

I might even have to seek out a copy of BP's recommended book. I am sure that that would help.

I can understand people feeling uncomfortable or genuinely making the wrong comment due to not knowing how you should approach such things due to a lack of education and mental illness still being a but taboo. Hope this is a thing of the past sooner rather than later.

But what I really can't understand is the amount of people who are quite openly rude, hostile and dismissive. These people should realise the effect this has on a persons quality of life.

I know exactly what you mean by this and yes understanding is what is required.

Pretty mature thread this. Credit for raising the subject in a mature way, which set the tone for the thread. If I may add a few lines to the discussion?

Dead right what you say about depression. Contrary to the dismissive attitude of some people who have maybe not seen it at first hand, I'm quite satisfied it is indeed an illness and condition, just like those that manifest themselves more physically. Seen it at first hand a number of times, and once or twice (very briefly, couple hours or so only, thankfully) found myself heading that way. Just those couple of occasions scared the hell out of me, cos its not just "getting a bit down" - it hits you heavy and hard. Thankfully in my case the lift, after an hour or two, was like the biggest weight on the planet suddenly being lifted. If that's what its like for those who suffer on a more prolonged basis, it must be bloody awful to handle.

I say this because unless you've seen (or worse, experienced) it first hand, its very hard sometimes to understand what its like and what effects it has, I suggest? Its not helped by what (seems to me to be) the fact that many sufferers compensate by displaying an outwardly jovial and lively personality when in company. Rather different to what they are really feeling inside. Maybe that's why so many entertainers are sufferers?

I will freely admit that its only in recent years that I have come to learn and understand that it is indeed an illness and not just "all in the mind". And I had myself down as being reasonably receptive and open-minded. So its maybe no wonder so many people still hold to scepticism, which may result in the rudeness and hostility to which you refer?

Unfortunately, I don't see any easy answer to the education side other than people experiencing the effects of the condition indirectly, or (heaven forbid) themselves?

I thought Stephen Fry's programme about bi-polar disorder was really good and that sort of programme is a really good way of educating people.

Have not seen that. Does it give help on how to recognise the symptoms in others, so you are better-able to avoid a counterproductive and unhelpful response? That seems to be at the crux of much of what has been said on this thread?

What I've always found bizarre is the number of people from comedic backgrounds that suffer. Stephen Fry, Frankie Howard, Spike Milligan to name a few.

Whilst I wouldn't proclaim to be in their league my humour is highly eccentric (sam might be able to testify to that as I inadvertently sent him a very odd submission by mistake instead of a magazine editor with a similar name). I wonder if this style of humour could be almost a symptom of a mind that can occasionally head into the blue.

It certainly improved my understanding of that particular condition and made me more aware of the symptoms. I expect I wasn't the only one.

I think the consequence of gaining such an understanding makes you less likely to be judgemental or make an inappropriate response. As has already been said it often takes someone you know to suffer from mental illness before you begin to get an understanding of it. Programmes with articulate celebs like Fry help people understand more I reckon.

Spike Milligan wrote a lot of excellent poetry about Bipolar disorder. I've got a book at home that he wrote with his consultant. I'll try and find it.


Stephen Fry made this point in the program he made about Bipolar disorder and actually creditted the condition with making him the writer and performer he is today. He said that whilst the periods of depression completely stop you in your tracks the periods of mania can be quite productive in terms of creativity.

Andrew Johns says almost exactly the same in his biography. When he was manic he says he felt invincible on the rugby field.

The two most depressive people I ever met was Tony Hancock and Max Wall, both outstanding comedians of their time. Mind you the drama masks depict laughter and tears, shows the two moods are not far apart. In Cardiff they have devised a new method of treating depression, and it is based on DIY, you supply the patient with the books on treating depression on prescription. Strangely enough it actually works, a colleague of mine at the medical school where I work showed me some excellent outcomes. It must be working because all the GPs in Cardiff have adopted the scheme.

I have to say i was one of the "its all in your head" camp before the birth of my children, i struggled with baby one and with baby 2 i really struggled. Being a male i didnt obviously admit anything but looking back i suffered with and can recognise post natal depression (yes men get it) took me 6 mnths or so with my little lad and nearlly 9 nths with my little girl before i felt comfortable etc etc etc...

I think it's probably the other way round. I'd bet a lot of comedians, if not bipolar, tend to a depressive personality and use comedy, consciously or unconsciously as a defensive mechanism.

I can also easily understand how it may make matters worse, I've read often about the high of being on stage in front of an adoring audience and then the problem of trying to get down from the high, and I should imagine for a person with a tendency to depression this could get seriously bad, the memory of the temporary "fix" only making things worse.

The psychotherapist/comedienne Dr. Amy Alpine suggested in an article some time back that both depression and Bipolar disorder are common among comedians, and interestingly said that some comedians who were bipolar didn't want to be treated because they didn't want their "manic" episodes to go away.


I don't think it's just comedians though but more people who are extroverts, performers in general (Paul Gascoigne, anyone?) In 2007 actor and funny man Owen Wilson attempted suicide by slitting his wrists. Jim Carrey's life has reportedly been a story of battles with depression. Well known depressives that I know of include Woody Allen, Rodney Dangerfield, Rosie O'Donnell, Ruby Wax, Caroline Aherne, Catherine Tate, Paul Merton, Bill Oddy, Sarah Silverman, Russell Brand and Stephen Fry. Manic laughter and manic depression seem to be close relatives.

Mind you the problem of depression and mental illness in general is endemic to the human population and it's a pity, despite how widespread mental issues are, that there is still a stigma attached and people prefer to joke and put down. My dear old mum sadly had serious episodes of manic depression that we had to deal with and so I have more experience of it than I'd like, and it's probably why I've been a supporter of MIND for a long time. But I do think that attitudes have definitely appreciably changed for the better, even if there is a very long way to go.