STEPHEN FRY

Dear Stephen

You freed me by helping me to face up to and come to terms with this infuriating illness. After watching your documentary when it first aired, I thought if Stephen can handle his illness in such a public way, I can do something similar. However, even if I had a public profile such as yours I'd be too frightened of the stigma to announce myself as you did. That said, I've taken the first step by finally completing my autobiographical account of how the illness has dictated my life.

I 'finished' the book yesterday and sent it to a publishing house which you brought to my attention via Twitter. It will be some time before I find out if my scribbling is worthy enough for print, but just by writing it, the healing process has already begun. I'm not yet ready to talk openly to people that know me because as a result of my past behaviour I've lost most of my friends and don't want to lose the few I have left. But hopefully I'll get there soon.

Regards
BTM

I'd just like to say that I admire you highly for you dealing with your illness publicly. It made me feel so much more able to deal with my own illness. I can't begin to say how many times QI has brought a smile to my face on one of my low times.

I belong to a support group in the aea I live and we were recently in a local paper and when we were talking about how private sufferers are about their illnesses, I mentioned you and how you admitted pubicly that you had this illness and that it doesn't need to be the end of anything.

I admire your strength and your courage and to you sir, I infinitely thank you.

I wish to express my deep appreciation and thanks to Mr. Fry for his documentary on Biploar or Manic Depression which was recently screened on our Pay-Per-View Bio channel. Not only have I made copies of it for myself and my friends (to help them to better understand my outlandish behaviour as a Bipolar Type A sufferer as well as their family members who also suffer from this illness), I have also vowed to use it in my work as a Consumer Companion in the Acute Mental Health wards of my local general hospital. This is someone who goes into these wards to talk to sufferers, share my story and delight or agonize over theirs.

Thinking about it, if it were not for my being able to access the stories of other sufferers who are functioning as "normally" as they can (like Mr. Fry) I do not think that I would have the courage to go out into the world and do the work that I love to do which is to help those like me.

For years mental health illness has ensured that a stigma has been attached to the sufferer and made it very difficult for those sufferers to try and function in the "real world" due to that stigma....including myself. Hopefully now, through the courageous and self-sacrificing actions of both high-profile and "normal" sufferers/surviors of this sometimes devestating illness, that stigma will be obliterated.

Thank you, Mr Stephen Fry, all those who I have shown your story are now even bigger fans of yours than ever.

As for me, I owe you the greatest thanks of all. You and the others in this inspiring doco make me believe that if you manage to live somewhat "normal" lives whilst battling this illness (and anxiety as I do) I can do it too.

Kylie Nicholson
Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia

The show screen in Australia on ABC2 last night.

As a first and second hand experienced person with various mental illnesses, I was so happy to see a documentary such as Fry's. A realistic, down to earth, personal discovery, which is something we all have to do in these situations.

As a Scientist, I also appreciated that he looked into many therapy's and treatments.

I don't usually comment on forums. However, I just wanted to express my thanks for this fantastic documentary. I will be passing it on to all my friends.

Thank you for your effort to reduce the stigma of mental illness. I hope you keep pursuing this field and I hope you keep well yourself.