STEPHEN FRY

Hi Stephen,
sometimes i wish i had testicles to attatch electrodes to, but being a girl that little avenue of pleasure has been denied, however I do have a lovely psychiatrist.

Your series has I think made me understand what it is that is wrong or should i say right with me. 9 suicide attempts. a brilliant brain , or so i think, my idea for ejector seats for helecopters never really caught on! I live in a fantasy world most of the time but i can function and appear normal (almost) to most people i meet, I have been beautiful, but age is catching up with me and probably having a stablising influence on me. I would love to pick your superior brain on this subject.
with love and respect Krissy [number removed - Admin] krissy63@hotmail.com xxx

But not here lol, ok i should have read the top post better

Dear Mr Fry and all other readers.

i'll get straight to the point, apart from the unfortunate fact that BP,s sometimes do not get the correct diagnosis for many years ( mainly BP 2 and unipolars) i am one of the fortunate few that after being on mainly Haldol for a year or so (an extremely nasty, old and over used drug that makes you very ill ) i was correctly diagnosed in california by a private doctor and changed from lithium to depakote. now i feel that lithium is a great drug as it helps many... but if not on the correct dosage and do not have blood work every 6 months it can turn you into... dare i say it... a carpet crawler. now i'm lucky as when i lived in CA i could afford $1500 worth of meds per month plus blood work costs and private doctors. The point of me writing this is when i returned after 4 years to the UK i used the NHS. Now if you mention depakote to a doctor on the NHS it will not go down well due to the fact that it is so expensive... but if like me you fight and insist that this is a better med for you (especially if your BP1) you can get it.

please visit - http://www.depakoteer.com/

and see what you think....

After 15 years of extreme substance and alcohol abuse.. I now realise that i cant play like that any more and i can only hope that the little advise i can give is heard... if you are BP do not self medicate as i promise it is a path you do not want to tread.

I wish everyone on this site including stephen the very best of luck and please believe me... when you do find yourself in the pit of hell and your thoughts are simply to dark to even mention, just remember your a good person who simply has an illness IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT and YOU WILL GET THROUGH IT and never be ashamed about being ill.

I wish you all the best

Tree

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Hi,

I have just watched Stephen's programme on Manic Depression and thought it was fasinating.

I am so glad that you, Stephen did not take your life, I think you are a fantastic person. You are such a talented actor a knowledgable man, a very loveable man and I could listen to you talk all day. I must admit I have watch most of your TV programmes from Jeeves and Wooster to QI. (I was at this years filming of the Christmas show and thought it was great, I love Alan Davies!!)

I know that you probably do not want sympathy regarding your condition, but I was very touched by the programme and when it showed you at a low, I just wished I could give you a big hug... I'm sure that you have alot of friends that you can turn too when needed and I hope that you do not go into such a bad depression that you feel so alone and that you have no-one to turn to. I know that it is something you cannot stop, but I just want you to know that you are loved by your fans and I'm sure everyone will agree that if we could we would hold out our hands and wrap them around you to make you feel secure.

My husband suffered with depression a few years ago, brought about by a knock to the head., when someone tried to attack him. I know that the symptoms are not the same as a Manic Depressive, but I know what it is like to be with someone that goes through split personality. His moods changed and he always seemed to be very uptight, and agressive. He would not really communicate, but just what I would describe at 'grunt'. He always bit the kids heads off and I found it very hard to love him. He would sometimes just want to be on his own and would go out as he needed space. He was put on medication which he took for a couple of years, but he hated taking it. He was very unhappy with his home life and his work life, it was very hard to stick with him.

It took about 4 years, but after a lot of talking and working together he gradually got better, and came off the medication. I wanted to walk away so many times, but I could not take the kids away from their father and I'm glad we worked through it.

I'm sure you will have many messages of support and love and I hope you go on making us smile on TV for a very long time.. You deserve to be as happy as you can be, as you make so many people happy. I know that I will never know you or met you, but I look forward to seeing all your new ventures that come along, whether it be TV, Book or Theatre.

Take Care
Alison x

dear Stephen

My name is Adam,

i am 27 year old young gay man from Leicester, the most dreary of dreary places, a place where it rains pretty much the whole year round, at least it seems that way when one lives here. I have been a big fan of yours for quite some time, having read “Hippotamus”, “Paperweight” and “Liar” and many of your Articles. I am writing to you to thank you for your impact upon this simple little life of mine, as you have been a huge influence upon me these past few years, even though we have never met. During my past ten years of mental illness, fighting hallucinations, voices, and numerous other horrid little symptoms, (not to mention my dyslexia)

I have read, many, many books, including a few of your own, your humour and wit have pulled me through many dark nights, as did Douglas Adam’s.
I was very saddened by his death, the Hitchhikers Guide, the Dirk Gently novels, “the Last Chance to see”, all touched me deeply in various ways and during my time bed ridden with crippling depression, helped the day seem less unbearable. And I have long wished I had written to him to thank him and let him know of my gratitude.

I have a lot of respect for him and all that he did, and you and all you have done and continue to do. Your story is a massive eye opener, and I must say at this moment, I expect no reply from you, and I require nothing of you, you really have already given me so much more than you could imagine I think. I actually cried when I read your homage to Douglas Adam’s in “The Salmon of Doubt”. It was very touching indeed. I would be very touched indeed, if you could read this little letter and see the positive effect that you have had on me, and my life. Just knowing you are out there, doing what you do fills me with cheer, and I walk around with a permanent little smile. Having watched your recent two-parter on your own illness, I thought it prudent to write and tell you, in all honesty, that you have helped at least one life, maintain his own grip on life.

You sir, are truly an inspiration to me, and whilst I possess none of your wit, you yourself, have given me the motivation to write two books myself and self publish them, the first “Littleboylost” was written during my last suicidal phase, talking about my own illness, and hopes for recovery, and “Musings of a madman” which was my own little attempt to reach out and show folk out there that t was possible to not commit suicide, to get help, to move on a little in their own lives. I risk being laughed at here, but I would like to send you a copy, not for any ulterior motives, but to show you how you have touched my life and enabled me to get a grip. As much as I want to, that is….

I find that my own condition adds something to my life, and whilst it occasionally feels like I am on a knife edge I currently handle things quite well enough.After having long ago given up on myself and education, I have recently started an access to the social sciences course, to get back in the saddle so to speak, which I hope will lead onto the BA in “International Relations and Globalisation Degree”, which will itself hopefully lead onto a career in the Diplomatic Service. My own experience of ill health has made me want to try and help others, and your own example has been a massive source of strength, and I just wanted to say to you Sir, I thank you with all my heart. You really are an inspiration, and whilst you may think me a fool for gushing like this, I needed to be able to tell you all of this. You may not be able to believe this, but I mean every word. It has taken a lot for me to write this, a lot of courage, but I guess the main message is pretty much a simple one. “Thankyou”.

I wish you well; I look forward to reading about you in the media, and seeing your new series and things. By the way I loved “Paperweight” and have read my copy umpteen times.


Thankyou so much for everything you have given me,

xx Adam

Hello! Ahh yes, i confess, i had such a burning desire to post i didnt read Admins message fully, and havng seen many people had done the same, i posted. However you will see i did realise this error afterwards, and reposted elsewhere upon this marvelous forum. I hope you are well. Here in Leicester the whether is most dreary, and we are shrouded in the darkness of awful British temperement al whether. As per usual. Well i must be on my way, terrah.

If I get frightened by the sheer amount of board activity, and that when I come in a couple times a day for a peek, I can't imagine how Mr. Fry will feel re: occasional visits. Especially considering how busy he appears to be.

You never know, though. Some people are just that committed when it comes to forum-trolling. I'm so used to painful slowness elsewhere that I think I've gotten a little soft.