Jim Carrey fights depression

[Champ]

ACTOR Jim Carrey has gone public on his battle with depression.

Interviewed by America's CBS TV program 60 Minutes, the film funnyman said he took Prozac for a long time, but the drug didn't cure his depression.

"I had to get off at a certain point because I realised that ... everything is just OK," he told reporter Steve Kroft at his home in Brentwood, California.

Even when he was taking Prozac, the depression didn't go away entirely, he said.

"It feels like a low level of despair you live in where you're not getting any answers, but you're living OK and you can smile at the office."

http://entertainment.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4459,11460479%255E10431%255E%255Enbv,00.html

[RivetJoint]

1. Well one tends to be depressed

when one is an alcohol abusing cokehead like Jim Carrey.

[Ellen Forradalom]

2. Or, one tends to abuse alcohol and coke

when one is depressed. Self-medication, they call it.

[RivetJoint]

3. Chicken or egg?

[Ellen Forradalom]

30. The sixty-four dollar question.

Certainly alcohol and coke don't help matters.

[babylonsister]

6. No longer, according to Jim.

He's happy ONE DAY AT A TIME w/o aid of drugs or alcohol.

[RivetJoint]

7. That's the point

Get off that crap, and maybe you'll be happier.

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Phillycat]

40. You are misinformed on the subject of addiction.

Many, many people who are clinically depressed become alcoholics and addicts. As we say in my organization, "Alcohol is but a symptom." You have to treat the underlying mental problems which are the cause of the addiction problem. That's what the 12 steps does. Only the first is about alcohol. The rest is cleaning up mentally.

[Flammable Materials]

43. Careful, you're starting to sound like a Republican.

:)

[Crankie Avalon]

4. Well, I get pretty depressed and I don't do drugs or alcohol, at all...

...maybe that's why I'm so listless? :shrug:

[TaleWgnDg]

5. Carrey consistently presents himself as hyper-kinetic . . . that, if it's

a r/l issue and not merely acting, presents itself, together with the guise of Hollywood, with a guy in much trouble. I've often watched him with pity, frankly.

Mental health issues, including alcohol and drug abuse, are nothing to be scoffed at . . . tis tragic. Many comics, it seems, suffer from such issues as do many Hollywood *stars* seeking to be other than what they are.

[Lancer]

8. I didn't see the interview, but I find some of these

comments very offensive.

One does not have to be a Hollywood star who wolfs down illicit drugs and alcohol to blame a declining career on clinical depression.

I know that you all know that.

Take it from an average, ordinary person who has seen her life destroyed by depression and bipolar disorder; this is serious, and I applaud Carrey for publicly acknowledging he has a mental illness.

For that's what it is. I am not a cokehead nor do I drink alcohol. I have also been on medication and in therapy for my mental illnesses for many years. That combination has helped make life manageable, even somewhat happy and rewarding again.

I wish the same for Jim Carrey or anyone else, anywhere who has such a problem.

This is just my opinion.

[RivetJoint]

9. Sorry . I did not mean to offend you

or anyone else with a mental disorder. Jim Carrey was a drug and alcohol abuser. He stated that that MAY have led to his depression.

[liberalmuse]

12. Not necessarily...

Alcohol and drugs are often used to self-medicate against depression. Non-depressed people generally don't turn to substances.

[RivetJoint]

13. Many non-depressed people

use alcohol and drugs...they may become addicted.

[NicRic]

10. Perhaps he needs medication ...

for a imbalance in his brain ,cause I sure cant think of what the hell he has to be depressed about ! He has become a huge sucess at his career, has more money then he can spend ,and all of the comforts that $ can brings. So all I can think is due to a chemicial imbalance in his brain ,he suffers from depression. Now coke and drinking are not the type of medication he needs and in fact will only make the depression worst. I get depressed alot also ,however its always over bills that I cant afford to pay ,I know they say you cant buy happiness, however I would like a few million to find out if thats true or not !

[liberalmuse]

14. Money equals happiness. How could he possibly be depressed?

Anyway, that's the lie we've been sold and it's sad. People scoff at those who have the audacity to be depressed, even though they have all the soulless, material things we have been taught should bring us happiness. However, they, too, are human, and find out quickly enough that money and fame don't bring you happiness, because joy comes from within.

Everything we've been taught is a lie. We are probably the most brainwashed people in the world here in America.

[Wright Patman]

11. The U.S. is a depressing place

these days. Maybe if he'd stayed in Canada and lived the simple life of a peaceable, kind and genteel Canuck, these problems would have never surfaced.

I consider the entire USan society now well into the fourth year of a collective nervous breakdown which began on 9-11-01. How does one "treat" an entire population? I don't think you can. I think this country is irreversibly "gone in the head."

[Algorem]

15. THAT BASTARD JIM CARREY!

His name was originally Carre with an accent on the e so he's French so we hate him any way that damn French Frenchie.

[NJ_Lib]

16. Money may not buy happiness...

but it sure makes your life easier... Imagine Jim, if in addition to all of your current problems, you had to go out and earn a living and support your family... Do you think my bills care if I'm depressed? Do you think anybody has sympathy for me when I'm depressed? No, I'm told to "suck it up" and get back to work... Only when you have money, it becomes an "issue"... Otherwise you just "deal" with it...

[Lancer]

25. Please hear me out.

If not for free county medical clinics, family who were bewildered and scared but desperate to help me find answers, and loved ones who made an attempt to educate themselves as to what was eating alive their intelligent, accomplished and witty friend, I would be dead. I lost a brother to suicide because he did not seek treatment for depression. He was outwardly successful, but inwardly tormented. I saw it happening, and tried to help him. But most of the time we truly are powerless to help others seek what they do not want or do not feel they need.

There is hope. There are avenues for those with no money to seek relief from mental illness. In desperation, as I watched my sanity, career and family life spinning out of control, I went (with some trepidation) where I could afford to go. I was elated to find that there ARE good doctors in free clinics, and brand name medications that cost $1 or less per month.

I hope that you will take the time to explore these options. Nothing is more important than your physical and mental well-being. And I have nothing but pity in my heart for those in this supposedly enlightened age who still tell their sick friends and employees to "snap out of it." Mental illness is not a question of will, but of brain chemistry.

No one tells a diabetic or someone with multiple sclerosis to "deal" with it, or "suck it up." Mental illness should be treated no differently.

And let's not confuse situational depression with clinical depression, either. Everyone who has experienced a death in the family, loss of a child, a job or gone through a divorce or other trauma has probably felt the effects of situational depression. This does pass. Clinical depression is a whole different deal.

I'm sorry this is so lengthy, but obviously this is a very significant part of my life and I share my story on occasion only to try to give others hope.

Godspeed. I truly wish for you only the best.

Sincerely,

Lancer

[NJ_Lib]

45. Thank you for your kind and...

... caring response... And for sharing your story with us...

Your advice is excellent and I will keep it in mind!

Thanks... :hug:

[Beware the Beast Man]

17. Ironic how some of the funniest people are the most depressed.

I kind of figured he would be as well. He had a pretty rough upbringing, too. I think at one point his family was homeless.

[Buzz Clik]

19. Is this really the DU?

Insensitive, no attempt at understanding the problem, and lots of moral clarity.

Take a step back, folks.

[RivetJoint]

20. Dupe

Self Delete

[RivetJoint]

21. And you know why he was depressed? You know the cause

of his "depression?" According to HIM, it was at least partially caused by his addiction to drugs and alcohol.

[Buzz Clik]

22. Okay, great. You make sure you keep kicking him while he's down.

I'm assuming you have no direct experience with depression. Such an experience would give you a bit more perspective and empathy, regardless of the cause of the depression.

[RivetJoint]

23. The point is he's NOT down

He says he's over it. BTW, hard to feel sorry for Jim Carrey.

[BlueJazz]

24. Keep in mind that some folks don't truly understand Depression...

...and what it means from a medical standpoint.
I've found that folks that say things like "What the hell do YOU have to be depressed about?" just simply don't understand what's truly going on...

[Buzz Clik]

26. ...and that was my only point. (n/t)

[RivetJoint]

27. And you are right

I apologize if I seemed unsympathetic.

[Buzz Clik]

35. No sweat --

When I finally realized where you were coming from, I saw that I was hammering on you a bit too hard.

[Lerkfish]

28. I guess being a multimillon dollar sought-after movie star

is so depressing.

how about the mother on food stamps trying to feed her 4 kids and stay on welfare without being shoved off it by Dubya?

I can have sympathy for a lot of people, I have no sympathy for people who are the top and then suddenly feel depressed and expect me to like them more for admitting it.

[Lerkfish]

29. ok, I've read the rest of the thread now, and I'm depressed...

that I was insensitive to depression.

sorry.

but my point was more that he was, again, seeking attention for announcing his depression.

[Champ]

36. Media offered him the attention to give his announcement

Did you prefer of him to keep it a secret? We would've found out eventually by him if he didn't announce on that 60 minutes.

[SoCalDem]

31. Prozac (and all the others I was given) never helped me.

I was in therapy for a while, for Major Depression..the drugs did not "cure" me or really help, so I just quit everything..

Am I better? Who knows?.. I did not kill myself, and I am still putting one foot in front of the other..

I would have continued to see the therapist, if the insurance company had not scared me off.. I felt that things were starting to make sense, but at some point I could no longer get "approved visits" and could not afford it myself.

Then I found out that my therapist had to "submit" my treatment records to the insurance co so THEY could determine whether I would benefit from further treatment.. I freaked at the very thought that a bunch of geeky pencil-pushers might be passing my file around at breaktime for a few laughs..... so I stopped..

My doctor said I should appeal it, but I did not even want to talk to the insurance people at that point, so I just "faded away"..

Since the drugs did not help anyway, stopping them was no biggie, and I was used to "dragging that bag of boulders" behind me for my whole life anyway, so nothing really changed..

[Lex]

32. Sorry he's been depressed.

Glad he's better.

He is excruciatingly unfunny to me.

[Endangered Specie]

33. I have very little sympathy for uber rich and priviledged

hollywood types who get 'depressed', which probably means they are upset about making ONLY a 6 figure salary this year.

[Champ]

34. Money doesn't buy happiness

People can get depressed over a number of things. I wish Carey best of luck and continues to make us laugh. Just because someone has money doesn't make them sub-human.

[Endangered Specie]

37. You mean, makes y'all laugh...

I don't find him particularly funny.

[Left Is Write]

46. Depression is an illness.

It does not discriminate on the basis of wealth or lack thereof.

People cannot control whether they are depressed or not. Depression is not "the blues" or a temporary feeling of sadness. Depression is a pervasive illness that takes over a person's entire existence. All the money in the world doesn't shield someone from mental illness.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

38. WHEW! I thought he was going to play FDR in a movie! (nt)

[trotsky]

41. Heheheh

A bit of levity... good one. :)

[Wallflower_Liberal]

39. I always had that feeling about him.

It is hard for people who have no experience with the disease to truly understand. This is something you can't just snap out of. It is not something money or fame is going to fix. It is a disease like any other disease. Do we begrudge Michael J Fox for coming out about Parkinson's? Although, I am sure someone somewhere does. It always amazes me when a famous person comes out about some disease or problem they have (like say, in People magazine) and inevitably there are five letters a couple of weeks later by people saying basically "Oh boo hoo for them! At least they have money!" I don't understand that mentality. They are PEOPLE for goodness sake!

Anyway, I wish Jim Carrey luck and good health. Depression sucks! One of my favorite quotes is by Barbara Kingsolver in the book The Bean Trees: "Sadness is more or less like a head cold - with patience, it passes. Depression is like cancer."

[FizzFuzz]

44. His hyperness kind of gives it away.

I can relate. I've struggled with Clinical Depression too and I can easily go into hyper-goofy-performance mode when I'm around people. When I'm alone I can sit and stare at the wall. Or hang out on the computer for an ungodly length of time. When I'm keeping up with my spiritual practice, I seem to have more life force to overcome it. When I neglect it (spiritual practice, I mean), the grey spiral sucks me down and then it becomes hard to pull myself up again.

Yes, seems lots of people need to have one group that they feel justified in bashing. Many feel that people with money are worthy of guilt free hatred.

another book that gives an account of depression is Darkness Visible: a Memoir of Madness, by William Styron.

[nicedream815]

42. aha!

must be why he did Eternal Sunshine