6 episodes

“You just want to step out of it, to step out of the whole race, the whole business. The monstrosity of life overwhelms you.” Following a nervous breakdown in 1995, actor and journalist Stephen Fry discovered he was suffering from bi-polar disorder – commonly known as manic depression. Symptoms of fear and sadness (often classed as ‘anxiety’ and ‘depression’ if they are diagnosed) are the most common ‘mental disorders’ in Britain that people seek counselling for. This collection of videos looks at what can happen when people are overwhelmed by such profound feelings of sadness that they can’t carry on with their everyday lives. Fry, along with Trisha Goddard and engineer Jim Brown, share their personal struggles and experiences with diagnosis and drug use, giving us a glimpse into the journeys they have taken.

This material forms part of The Open University course D240 Counselling: exploring fear and sadness

'The Secret life...' footage appears courtesy of RTF and BBC.

Coping with Depression - for iPod/iPhone The Open University

    • Education

“You just want to step out of it, to step out of the whole race, the whole business. The monstrosity of life overwhelms you.” Following a nervous breakdown in 1995, actor and journalist Stephen Fry discovered he was suffering from bi-polar disorder – commonly known as manic depression. Symptoms of fear and sadness (often classed as ‘anxiety’ and ‘depression’ if they are diagnosed) are the most common ‘mental disorders’ in Britain that people seek counselling for. This collection of videos looks at what can happen when people are overwhelmed by such profound feelings of sadness that they can’t carry on with their everyday lives. Fry, along with Trisha Goddard and engineer Jim Brown, share their personal struggles and experiences with diagnosis and drug use, giving us a glimpse into the journeys they have taken.

This material forms part of The Open University course D240 Counselling: exploring fear and sadness

'The Secret life...' footage appears courtesy of RTF and BBC.

    • video
    Coping with Depression

    Coping with Depression

    Stephen Fry, Trisha Goddard and Jim Brown share their experiences with anxiety and depression.

    • 21 min
    Transcript -- Coping with Depression

    Transcript -- Coping with Depression

    Stephen Fry, Trisha Goddard and Jim Brown share their experiences with anxiety and depression.

    • video
    Depression: diagnosis and stigma

    Depression: diagnosis and stigma

    A look at being diagnosed with a mental illness.

    • 8 min
    Transcript -- Depression: diagnosis and stigma

    Transcript -- Depression: diagnosis and stigma

    A look at being diagnosed with a mental illness.

    • video
    Depression and drug use

    Depression and drug use

    Several people share their experiences of prescribed and recreational drugs.

    • 7 min
    Transcript -- Depression and drug use

    Transcript -- Depression and drug use

    Several people share their experiences of prescribed and recreational drugs.

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