Yesterday Was My Birthday. I Am Next to Normal.
It feels really different being 25. I can’t imagine how an old person — like 41 — would feel.
Ahem.
This weekend I went to NYC and saw Next to Normal, a Broadway musical about a woman who’s been diagnosed with the kind of bipolar disorder I have — depressive with psychotic features. In the play, she gets ECT, as I did. Safe to say it all hit close to home, but it didn’t upset me. It was such a rockin’ score and fun good time that I really enjoyed it.
liz | 11:34 AM | bipolar disorder, celebrities
The Trouble With Spikol Print Edition: Fox’s “Mental”
Here’s my column from this week. I know people will say I’m a stick in the mud, but I stand by my comments. I just wish I had more room to make my case. Let me know your thoughts.
In the wake of actor David Carradine’s hanging last week, various theories have surfaced about cause of death, none more bizarre than that of Carradine family lawyer Mark Geragos, who told Larry King: “David was very interested in investigating and disclosing secret societies … And so there is a suspicion that if there was some foul play, that may be the first area they should look.”
I have another idea: Look at Carradine’s recent appearance on Fox’s execrable show Mental, which might have made him self-destructive, at the very least.
On the show, Carradine plays an author named Gideon who’s been admitted to a psychiatric institution in L.A. Speechless and wheelchair-bound, Gideon is visited by his blond supermodel daughter, who depends on Director of Mental Health Services Jack Gallagher—the Errol Flynn of psych administrators—to puzzle out her father’s catatonia.
As part of this venture, Gideon is cradled in a swimming pool by a large African-American orderly. This isn’t enough for Gallagher: He jumps into the pool—clothes on—to do the cradling himself. That’s just the kind of guy he is; in Mental’s pilot, he disrobes in the hospital lobby to subdue a violent, naked paranoid schizophrenic.
Poor David Carradine spends most of his episode with his head lolling like a giant flower on a skinny stem. He’s forced to emote, somewhat, when Gallagher yells at him about guilt and judgment, at which point his character emerges from the catatonia and grrs like Tony the Tiger.
Carradine’s storyline, explicated by cut-rate CGI and embarrassing biblical references, is typical of Mental, which is boring, amateurish and feebly scripted. I’m guessing it won’t last long. But for the moment, it’s the only network TV show about mental illness—an opportunity that’s tragically squandered.
liz | 10:51 AM | media
Doctors Have Mixed Feelings About Obama and Healthcare
liz | 3:42 PM | politics
Depression Confession: Alec Baldwin
From People magazine:
It was the private voicemail message not meant to be shared and yet ended up being heard by nearly everyone – Alec Baldwin’s angry April 2007 tirade against his daughter, Ireland, accusing the then-11-year-old of being a “rude little pig” who needed to have her “ass straightened out” after she had “humiliated me for the last time.”
Only now, as the Emmy-winning 30 Rock star admits in a candid interview with Playboy for its July/August issue (on newsstands and online Friday), after the phone message was exposed, he contemplated killing himself.
…
Describing his thoughts of killing himself as “very serious,” Baldwin, 51, says, “I spoke to a lot of professionals, who helped me … If I committed suicide, [Kim Basinger's side] would have considered that a victory. Destroying me was their avowed goal.”
His self-destructive state of mind was such, recalls Baldwin, that he also offered to quit 30 Rock and actually went ahead and – briefly – dropped his agent, who also represented Basinger.
I find him quite delightful, personally.
Alec Baldwin Was Suicidal over Angry Voicemail to Daughter
liz | 11:14 AM | celebrities, depression, media
Mental and Obsessed
My column this week — out tomorrow — is about the TV show Mental. I have so many objections to the show, it took a long time to write. I could only fit in one of my central points, which is that … Well, I’ll let you read it tomorrow.
This was on NAMI’s Twitter feed recently:
Watch “MENTAL” on FOX-TV Tuesday 9:00 PM ET. Does it stigmatize or open minds? NAMI is monitoring. Send comments to smarch@nami.org.
There are also a couple feeds about the new A&E show Obsessed, which documents real people with real illness. Though some of its elements are sensationalized, I actually appreciate that the show will raise an awareness of what some people grapple with. Though Nidia’s OCD is incredibly extreme, I think any person with OCD will recognize themselves in it (at least I did).
The show also advocates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as the most effective treatment for anxiety disorders, which is unusual in a world of Valium, Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin, etc. The doctors explain things fairly well, though of course judging by the first episode, the show is pretty much like OCD: Extreme Makeover. But based only on the first episode, I believe that it will ultimately help the public understand the secret shame and fear many people suffer in silence with.
OMG — New Twitter Feed You Might Love to Hate
I say that because one of my favorite pastimes is hating Twitter feeds, so no offense meant to the newest launch: a Twitter feed from Mental Health America. So far, the updates are about their current conference:
1. Check out photos from the Centennial Conference at www.flickr.com/photos/menta…!
2. Check in during the Conference (June 10-13) to see what George Stephanopoulos, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and more had to share with us!
3. Mental Health America’s Centennial Conference is 2 Days away!
Pretty scintillating stuff. That’s the problem with Twitter. It brings out the boring in everyone.
Everyone, that is, except for the guy who’s listening the classic rock station WMGK and has a Twitter feed called mgkadnauseum. As ‘MGK is one of my guilty pleasures, I find gems like this — “WMGK is giving away free J. Geils Band tickets. Do you think they will play Centerfold?” — endlessly entertaining. (Thanks to Philebrity for the find.)
liz | 10:42 AM | media, philadelphia
Men, Christians, Lend Me Your Ear
There’s a new Christian therapy group for men facilitated by John G. Taylor (pictured) forming that I read about on Craigslist. I have no idea if it’s good or silly or what, but I like the idea of alternative coping strategies, and I like some of the topics the group will address:
Wk 3: What is Domestic Violence?
Week 4: How to have a conversation with your mate?
Week 5 & 6: The Bible and your anger
Week 8: How build trust in relationships
Week 9: Techniques to control your anger
Week 15: When does an affair begin?
Week 16: How do we deal with our partners being more accomplished?
Week 18: How to deal with being sexually abused or being a perpetrator
Week 19: What is takes to be a responsible father
Week 20: How do you treat females are you abusive?
You should know there’s a $15 “investment” per group meeting. Also, at the end of the list of topics, the notice says: “God needs for his Sons to be prepared for warfare!” Which is odd, right? Still, here’s the info:
Meeting every 2nd & 4th Thursday)
6 -7:30pm
at
Christian Talk Therapy
2449 Golf Rd, Ste. 3, Philadelphia, PA
www.ChristianTalkTherapy.com
rsvp to 215-931-3070 or johng.taylor@yahoo.com
liz | 12:21 PM | alternative treatments, religion
Movies That Make Me Forget My Troubles
I love going to the movies. I love it so much that I’ll see almost any crap, though I have weird standards. Like, no Terminator or Star Trek, but if it has stupid guy humor, I’ll see it. And I’ll tell you what. The three movies below all made me forget my troubles for the couple hours they lasted. I post their trailers in order of awesomeness. The last one being much, much less awesome.
And I seriously think there’s something wrong with me that not only did I see The Hangover, and not only did I laugh when I saw it, but I kind of fell in love with Philly native Bradley Cooper. Dear god, I need help.
liz | 2:14 PM | alternative treatments
