4thought.tv

I have schizo affective disorder and I give lectures on stigma at universities and to professionals. In this I demonstrate that mental illness can gift a person with creativity ansd that this should be celebrated and fostered. It can aide recovery and outwardly, presents a positive image of people with mental illness that directly challenges the content of stigma

This makes me feel happy and happy. It reinforced what I already believed.

After Suffering from severe clinical depression over the last 3 years and been admitted to impatient care... I can honestly say I think it is the best gift I have ever had giving me tremendous skills and strength to tackle any further problems I come across in my life.

Mental illness can disable and isolate you completely if you let it, I believe. But as Shiva Feshareki explained, it can be the most valuable tool in the world...which is how I now perceive my mental illness (anxiety/depression/PTSD). I use my experiences constantly in my art work, on both a personal level, and a 'removed' level....I find it 'builds' my creativity, and as a bonus, my artwork is therapeutic for me, and hopefully might be therapeutic, create awareness, and be informative for others too.

It reinforced what I already believed.

This makes me feel confused and confused.

when i first ever took ill i dident understand even tho its been years now for me i can say i still get confused and wonder why me ? it can disable you and your life

This makes me feel inspired and inspired. It reinforced what I already believed.

I am bipolar too and totally agree with this girl! it can be such a delapitating illness for periods but on the other side of the coin it can make you feel so alive, like you can feel the energy pouring thru you!! its an amasing feeling of gladness! sometimes indescribable! does the good outway the bad?? NO because the bad side is dark, very dark indeed and if your not careful all the good things you achieve when manic are soon destroyed in self loathing anger!! would I change the way I am?? Hell no, then I wouldnt be me!

I was diagnosed with bipolar II last week, and have struggled to come to terms with a bit. Then, I saw this. It was so powerful, and really just made me feel inspired. Shiva described her only life, yet also mine and so many peoples! To know that she succeeds in beating the so very difficult 'lows' (which i tend to suffer from so unpleasantly). As Simon says, inspired is the word.

Thank you and well done Shiva love.

I can see her point, and good luck to her. I used to think bipolar was something amazing (before I had even been diagnosed, but obviously had it - I only actually got the label recently, but professionals have been talking about it for years) back when I could enjoy that amazing feeling on the way up, and get away with really stupid risky behaviour by being creative, funny, shocking, staying up all night at parties, and generally hiding it behind a kind of bohemian persona. Then the downs could usually be pretty much thrown in with that kind of lifestyle as well. Even psychosis wasn't that big a deal - just more creativity. Sure, I had no career, no money, I offended and alienated people, but it was thier problem, not mine.
Now I have two children.
I would give almost anything to be boring. Boring, stable mum. Mum who doesn't spend some days unable to talk, some days talking too fast to make sense. Mum who doesn't end up in a scary hospital. Mum who can make plans a few weeks ahead, and not have to keep cancelling or changing, or just forgetting because she's got a more exciting idea. Mum who doesn't jump at things that aren't there.
I wish other people all the luck in the world, and I hate to bring things down, but mental illness isn't just tortured artists or ex drug users. Sometimes it's just everyday people coping with something that they would never choose.

A gift? You must be bloody joking!! The real gift was the NHS - in and out patient care, good doctors/drugs/therapy etc - that gave me back my life.

I regularly watch the 4thought segment after channel 4 news and was instantly drawn in once i heard the word 'bipolar'. Having suffered with clinical depression for over ten years, it wasn't til recently i started to question whether I am in fact bipolar. Recently I picked up a book by john macmanamy called 'living well with depression & Bipolar' it's an amazing book and i recommend it to anyone suffering with either illness. I was so pleased to see this on the telly in a prime time slot and i think there needs to be more of it to raise public awareness and lose the stigma attached to it. My family and friends stuggle to talk about it. My case in point being that when this aired, my brother who i live with began to try and talk over it, he became very uncomfortable and after a few looks of contempt in his direction he finally shut up and we both watched it. It was funny hearing Shiva say she wouldnt want to cure her illness as it made her who she was because ive heard so many sufferers say that. It really is a gift and a curse that i've come to terms will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Shiva, it is a gift, enjoy being creative, the darkness is a small price to pay for talent.

I agree with Shiva to a point but after coming crashing down from a very negative high I would rather not have bipolar - I need to harness the positive highs because I too am creative but I started seeing someone and the rollercoaster of moods very nearly distroyed our friendship. Still may so not sure it is a gift to be opened all at once.

This makes me feel glad, happy, inspired, glad, happy and inspired. It reinforced what I already believed.

After years of managing depression I was diagnosed with Bipolar 2. As an educated and research orientated man who keeps a keen eye on how society addresses the unknown it is refreshing to see that the attributes of bipolar are being harnessed and openly managed. This will inspire others to find strength. When did we as humans begin to read change in many as an ailment rather than the possibility of the profound evolution of man? Couldn't Bipolar be the reaction of the mind to a society increasingly built on and measured by materialistic and highly competitive standards? A way of saying step back and see what really matters to YOU as an individual. I encourage anyone diagnosed and considering the medical/medicinal route to weigh up the pros and cons and question are the side effects of strong medicine for life worth only the management of Bipolar as there is no real cure.

I learned something from it.

I agree with Shiva but only to a point and would ask what would I have achieved without the burden of bipolar? How much more might I have done without this particular curse?

This makes me feel glad, happy, glad and happy. It helped me understand the speaker's point of view.

As they say there is a silver lining on every dark cloud. However, metaphorically speaking a cloud is still a cloud. Being diagnosed with PTSD it is something that I would not wish on my worst enemy. At the same, experiencing this illness and endeavouring to overcome it has shaped me as a person truly. These traits of perseverence have led me to achieve great things. Therefore, you have helped me to appreciate the benefits whereas usually I am focussed on the disadvantages.

Thank you Shiva