How Mad Are You?
Take ten volunteers, half have psychiatric disorders, the other half don't - but who is who? Over five days the group are put through a series of challenges - from performing stand-up comedy to mucking out cows.
The events are designed to explore the character traits of mental illness and ask whether the symptoms might be within all of us.Three leading experts in mental health attempt to spot which volunteers have been diagnosed with a mental health condition. But will the individuals who have suffered from mental illness reveal themselves?
Ten volunteers have come together for an extraordinary test. Five are "normal" and the other five have been officially diagnosed as mentally ill. Horizon asks if you can tell who is who, and considers where the line between sanity and madness lies.
I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more!
lol refrence humour.
psychology is not a science. everyone is identical
Common issues like "anxiety", "depression" and OCD are classified as mental illness - even when situational (like homesickness or loosing a loved one).
OCD is not common?
"Crazy is a state of mind. Lunacy is an art!" Cool E Beans.
Very interesting how even the professionals can get it wrong and what is even better is for those with Mental Health issues is that in their ordinary day to day lives it can be unoticable.
So why three white male psychiatrist "judges"? And interesting that apart from a male participant that showed very obvious signs of a disorder early on they selected four women as the "abnormal" ones. I think this might tell us something about the mental health sector and what is considered "normal". Come on BBC!
There is a lot of misinformation floating around in the comments below, some more dangerous than others.
Even though I'm posting 2 years later, I can't agree more Anthony. I just hope that common sense prevails and people do not believe all they read online.
The Bhagavad-Gita (as it is) explains That we are suffering due to our karma from past lives .Whilst people defy Krishna and try to be independent from Krishna they live in illusion and bewilderment and further adding to their karma so their suffering continues and increases .
More importantly than if you can tell the difference between the people in the film ,is that all people ( including the doctors who are more insane than the patients if they think that zombiefying ,dangerous ,medication with many side effects, that are worse than the illness its self ,should be prescribed or even be legal ) progress towards Krishna consciousness and not more diminished states of consciousness.
HARE KRSNA HARE KRSNA KRSNA KRSNA HARE HARE
HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE
If the participants knew they were taking part in an experiment to find out who has a mental illness and who does not, can one assume they would do their best to "hide" any character flaws attached to said mental illness during the test/evaluation? Kind of contradicts itself in a way, I think.
Why are scientologists even watching this?
So, a psych label of "schizophrenia" equals to a diagnosis of cancer in real medicine. I wonder which real medical professional would venture to dish out cancer-diagnoses on the basis of a culturally determined subjective judgement of somebody's behaviour only, with no objective medical test results to support their beliefs. I also wonder, and this is even more disturbing to me, which patient would accept a cancer diagnosis based on somebody else's assumptions about them only, and even insist on this diagnosis to be scientifically valid, although the science itself proves them wrong.
yeah, there was no way to close the pop up, so I was hosed too. No where to click it off at all. Did read faq before watching as well. Too bad, and yes, it was a good vid for what I could see.
maybe, i should watch part 2 before i comment haha
i believe yasmine may have acted in way that she does not "normally" act, i feel she attempted to act normal and obviously hide whatever unfortunate illness she may have/had (although a battle with mental illness is lifelong, and thus who fight are truly valor) so say she had depression or social anxiety then she's going the conceal the tale-tell signs of the disorder. its much like how the famous experiment went to where the people acted like they had a mental disorder and really, when you come to think about, if any of us really wanted to dont you think you could make someone you never met think that yeah he may have something wrong with him/her. like if your trying to committed to a mental hospital and you can't (like not even, "well, let's have him spend the night, just in case") then there might be something more wrong with you then the people inside the building you were denied entrance into
Who that has suffered mental health issues would put someone else through that (and I should know) thumbs down
What a wicked Doco! LOOOVVEEDD it! Thats the most insightful, interesting piece on mental illness Ive ever watched/read. I liked Yasmin from the start. She cracked me up. Really disliked Vicki, what a dumb woman. Why the hell was she even considered to participate?? Love how stumped the judges were by the end! I would have loved to take part in this 'experiment' to see whether the panel picked out my mental illness, but then, after watching this, do I really have a mental illness? o_0 :)
This just keeps sending me to another page that looks like it's a virus. Help?
all you do is click on the red play button(a pop up will occur)
exit out of the pop up wait for the button to turn green then press it again.
I think being off balance is the first way of tumbling down and becoming well rounded..
I have obsessive writing disorder... lol...
I would really enjoy being a part of a experiment like this to see what they would come up with.
I think the whole thing is silly and people are just people. we dont have to say that someone has a disorder just because they are different. Everyone is different.
I believe people just need to figure there vocation and avocation to get over the bumps. Communication is key.
Their are people with legitimate mental situations, however I believe many more people are diagnosed then necessary and pills are passed out like candy when people should just get a hobby and obsess over that instead.
You have to wonder how many people out there get misdiagnosed everyday and how many countless people that are raving lunatics never get diagnosed at all, like Muammar Gaddafi for example.
I'd love to know what the criteria is for a "normal" healthy person is and is there a marker or definition of mental "perfection"?
Greed and lust for power are also very dangerous social behaviours but are not even on the list or thought of when speaking about mental disorders, why is that? Probably because those types just cleverly identify themselves as "ambitious" and the rest of us sheep just nod and agree.
ya with the world the way it is its hard to not be a little off balance. I think being off balance is the first way of tumbling down and becoming well rounded.. LOL.. I like that. I got to remember that..
This was really quite interesting. I don't think we should "label" people with disorders at all, though some said that medication helps. I think there may also be spiritual matters involved with mental illness and not just physical ones.
There is nothing spiritual about health conditions.
there is everything spiritual about everything
Bipolar often goes hand in hand with schitzophrenia. They identified the five indivudals.
I don't think so. They didn't identify the schizophrenic person at all. You can't combine the two disorders in this documentary. Something wasn't right with the older woman. She was my first bet for schitzophrenia.
totally agree, she is, she just decided to lie about it, she did fail the test, and everything about her makes it pretty damn obvious... "that's who I am", she said, well, ok this is part of her life. Can't blame her though, it's a pretty terrible thing.
Yay! I guessed 4!
Lovely show, I enjoyed it very much :)
Although I am a little sad that the show didn't reveal, who suffered from schizophrenia.
It's a 30 minutes wait for a free video.
I think the old lady is just dumb
The version I watched never revealed who has schizophrenia.
If you watch the very end of the show, it takes a moment to get a comment from those that were revealed, they left a comment in by mistake, it becomes obvious then.
i thought I'd be able to see it more easily...although i did suspect 3 ppl.
I agree Lou. I think the person with schizophrenia decided not to be identified. While I understand, it was a let down to an otherwise great show. I don't think it shows the shortcomings of psychiatry though, even if the dr.'s got so many wrong. You go to a psychiatrist and explain why you feel you need to be there, they don't observe you and make a diagnosis. Maybe if you are committed. You wouldn't go to a physician and say "guess which organ is giving me trouble" without giving them background information. 12-21-10
Just saw the documentary on SBS in Australia. I have a feeling that the person with Schizophrenia decided not to come forward due to the stigma which may have eventuated in their lives had they done so. Does anyone know what happened here? I can understand this decision, and respect the producers for leaving this out as it was obvious that they did, if this was the reason, to respect the privacy of the individual.
Ha! This show proved how wrong the system is, what a pedestal Psyches are put on, and how prevalent misdiagnosis is. Yes, it was just a show and just a snapshot but even they got it wrong, as they do daily in real life.
As a nurse working in psyche wards, permanent care wards, and with teen self harm and post natal depression, I lost count of the patients who were just drugged up to shut them up. Suggestions such as B6 or any supplement for that matter were not only scorned but ridiculed, yet these days I have colleagues (yes, am now a practitioner) who will only prescribe supplements or alternatives - yes, they do exist...
Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and little more than a teenage hormone burst, being forced onto anti depressants 'Or we wont deal with you any more' - labels and 'diagnosis' can be a good thing for some because they just want to be able to have a name for what is happening to them. For others, it's an excuse. For many more, it's a terrible thing because of the stigma that comes with it. It is soul destroying to see once vitally healthy patients pass me by with a look of total betrayal ("Why couldn't you help me?") or even not recognise me - a few years of misdiagnosis and prescription error will do this.
Takes me back to the patient that stands out the most for me. I was treating him for back pain and addiction. Unbeknown to me, my colleague was treating him for schizophrenia - funny how our ethics can be so pedantic that such a small piece of information is withheld... Within a relatively short time, this man was free of addiction (possibly one of the most outstanding successes in 30 years of practice), had become more outgoing, was back at work and guess what? After decades of being 'cared for' by his wife and sister (a Psyche) - which prevented him from basics such as reading, writing, even signing cheques for the business he slaved at but these two women held the purse strings - he was actually reading and intended to go back to school.
The manipulative power of the Psyche world is such that no one can stand up to them. The wife got angry, the sister got angry, even the local GP got angry - and this man was hunted like a criminal, chased down the main street of our small town and taken in handcuffs to Graylands. Reminiscent of psyche stories of the bad old days, this man, after shock treatment, drugging and counselling, only dreams and tells the story with tears in his eyes, of the time - even for just a year or so, he lived a normal life - free of drugs, free of fear or irrational thought. Why did they react this way? Who knows? But my bet is it has something to do with the fact the business kept his wife and sister rolling in money. The kids went to a private school, the wife lived between the city and small town, very much living the life of the wealthy kept woman. When he woke up from 20 years of drug stupor, he realised he was their pawn - and they didn't like that he knew....
Please people, take note of your health, get a 2nd or 3rd or even 4th opinion. And if a drug has a bad side effect, get another opinion again. If you feel you are doing better with this care, okay, but if you know in your heart that you are not 'mad' - don't let anyone tell you that you are. I have the advantage of practicing both orthodox and alternatives and believe me, there are many questions answered out there which are withheld. Don't let what can be part of growing up - minor chemical imbalances - be misdiagnosed and mistreated.
One more detail,
Majority of Psychiatrists tend to treat the symptoms first for several months with continued observations (not 5 consecutive days) waiting for fluctuations or any radical changes. And only after 9-12 months may narrow the conclusion deciding to "diagnose".
It is pretty obvious, they are protecting themselves and also the patients, from a wrongful diagnosis.
Please notice above I said "majority" and not ALL! If we don't want people to be judgemental of ourselves, we should neither be judgemental of professionals!
Hi All, just watched the documentary in SBS Channel, Sydney. also entertained myself with your comments.
I am a Bipolar sufferer of 22 years. Currently well self- managed and monitored with 3 visits to psychiatrist p/year and daily medication. I'm a strong believer and follower of Personalised Wellbeing Plans (PWP). In my modest opinion this was an Excellent Production which does a lot for destigmatisation and awareness of mental illness. For one recognising the prevalence of "1 in 4" that suffer.
Completely agree with Pieta's comments (above). Furthermore, one of the most important universal truths implicitly asserted by the program is: "Always be prepared for a 2nd, or 3rd or 4th opinion". We all (professionals or not professionals) are fallible! But must try and strive for excellence all the time.
Best regards,
BIPOLAR Education Foundation
This show was s@#$.
The so-called psychiatrists pathologised many ordinary responses to situations and the commentary about disorders was shocking
0 out of 5
i'm not sure whether i should find it embarressing or funny that i have been diagnosed with 3 of the illnesses out of 5. maybe the name of the experiment should be reviewed since being mad isn't really an appropriate word to describe mental illness. anyway, it was interesting nevertheless. i dont think it was a fair experiment since they were consciously trying to hide their symptoms, which in the real world wouldnt be the case entirely. also, if they were being medicated for their problems then i am not suprised that the psychiatrists found it hard to pick the neurotypical from the disordered. regardless, i'm not sure what the experiment was trying to prove... perhaps that a lot more people are ill than what we can assume through observation? i guess it could motivate people to seek help and not be embarressed. i just answered my own question... i guess it was a good idea then...
I was amazed the three male professionals primarily targetted the women in the group as having mental illness. It was a shame this was not observed or discussed in the documentary or raised for reflection re: practice and assumptions.
Anyone know what the theme tune is? I have a feeling it's a string version of Midnight Hour's I'm Running Away but didn't see anything on the credits. Call ME crazy but I always have to watch the credits and it upsets me like nothing that stations are obsessed with either speeding them up or cutting them altogether. Can anyone help? Don't even get me started on Psyches... The ones I have worked with are all far more 'crazy' and in need of help than many of the patients. And there seems to be far more in need of help walking around in mainstream, never being diagnosed than those who actually do. I have seen obviously bipolar people totally fool experts day after day...
I went 3 for 5. Spotted the anorexic and the depressed person right off, and got the OC person after it became really obvious. My pick for bipolar was pretty much ignored all show. Still beat the pros, though, which is scary when you realize they had a week of diagnosis time here, but the average person can be (and is) diagnosed and prescribed antidepressant(s) in 15 minutes or less.
I found this documentary fascinating. I have recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and fully understand that psychiatry is not a precise science.
I can appreciate the difficulty the panel had in trying to diagnose with such limited evidence (None of the volunteers were symptomatic). For me, it took more than 10 years form onset of my condition, and two years in mental health to gain a tentative diagnosis of bipolar disorder and fairly definite for mood disorder, while symptomatic.
For those of you who think that shrinks are just plugging pharmaceuticals, i can say from personal experience that is not the case. The first GP i went to who suspected i had a mood disorder would not prescribe without me seeing a psychiatrist, and when I saw the shrink, she fully respected my reluctance to take medication of any kind, and negotiated appropriate treatment with me, which initially was primarily verbal therapy. I have had a combination of CBT and medication to manage my condition, but i am currently symptomatic. If i were on the show now i would possibly be one of the easier ones to pick up.
Many professionals do not like using labels to treat mental illness, but all agree a correct diagnosis is so important for proper treatment, and many conditions require medication. For an individual experiencing psychosis they need antipsychotic medication. In my case, it was discovered i probably have bipolar because i took an antidepressant and it triggered mania.
I am not an expert, but i do also think there is a difference between suffering with a psychiatric condition and experiencing an episode of poor mental health. There are many difficulties we face in life, and these things can trigger depression where the individual probably needs support and will recover well. Sometimes trauma can reveal psychiatric conditions. Episodes of depression, mania and psychosis are often linked to stress.
There are many shades of grey in studying human behaviour. The labels given are really just describing a set of traits an individual possesses. If studied hard enough everyone could be labelled with something. The point of the diagnosis is to deal with a condition that is having a negative impact on an individual’s life, and those around the individual. I know my condition does not just affect me, it affects my family, the children i teach, my employer, insurer and the list goes on.
With appropriate care by qualified experts the aim is to allow those with a mental illness to live fulfilling lives as functioning members of the community as much as is possible. Once someone has recovered it should be very difficult to tell if they have suffered from poor mental health in the past, just like it can be impossible to tell if someone broke their arm as a child.
There's no scientific evidence to support that psych labels indicate which kind of drug is appropriate in the individual case. Also it is incorrect that "psychosis" requires drug treatment. The recovery rate of non-medical alternatives like Soteria and Finnish Open Dialogue is 85%, full recovery. Also, Soteria doesn't employ "qualified experts". Staff isn't employed for fancy diplomas from med school, but for simple human qualities like being able to relate in a completely non-judgemental and respectful way to people in emotional distress. All long-term outcome studies show that recovery from "psychosis"/"schizophrenia" -- as well as from other "mental illness" -- is far more likely off drugs. The chemical imbalance stories are just that: storytelling.
As for the term "recovery", let's be clear: nobody who still needs treatment is truly recovered. You can't be cured and still in need of treatment at the same time. You can't have your cake and eat it. People may be "in recovery", but being "recovered" means no more "symptoms", and no more treatment, no more contact with the mental illness industry, aka "mental health system". And yes, it's possible to be recovered, and not just "in recovery", no matter what the label. There's no such thing as "life-long mental illness".
What this doc really shows, just like the Rosenhan experiment, is how unscientific, and thus invalid as medical diagnoses, psych labels actually are.
Thank you Marian for the information on different treatment options. I have been battling and am in the process of recovery. I have never agreed with the fact that "Mental Illness" is a life long sentence to medication. Thanks for this information.
Very interesting, I agree with the vicki thing and makes you consider how easy it is to diagnose people when you are in a position of power. Makes you think how many people are stereotyped and "labelled" in the way the experts tried to label these people.
I didn't read the FAQ. I pressed the red play button and it "just works". I love free open source software! (I'm on ubuntu, with firefox plus vlc/mplayer/flash plugins). Time to ditch bindo$e?
@john... well said
Double posting...! Sorry.
Watched the entire thing now. I don't believe Vicky when she says she doesn't have any mental problems. I think she's one of those who just haven't been diagnosed yet, like I said earlier in my first comment.
Perhaps she's the one with the schizophrenia...? I thought they mentioned somewhere that someone in the group was schizophrenic. Or maybe they just implied it to make it more exciting for the viewing public, I don't know.
Interesting show, in any case!
I don't agree that psychologists/psychiatrists mostly think they're better than their patients etc. Many people in the psychiatric and psychological professions agree that diagnosis is not a sensible way of helping people deal with difficult life situations, and take a formulative approach, of listening to the individual and engaging with them in a two-way conversation. The difficulty is that access to medical help, insurance support (esp in America), recognition of 'illness' to help get support needed from work etc. all rely on a diagnosis - a label - , so people in the professions give them one. In addition, doctors and medical professionals are heavily marketed by drug companies and have come to believe that giving a diagnosis and drugs will help their patients quickly (despite all of the evidence around the side-effects, withdrawal symptoms and long-term impacts of these drugs), whereas typical NHS waiting lists for someone to just get someone to talk to are probably around 2 years, depending on where you are in the country.
It's become a necessity to medicalise mental struggles in the indivdual, in order to get them any kind of support, and this has tied in nicely with the recognition from drug companies that they can patent and market certain drugs if they can create / link to a diagnosis of something which sounds medical.
When you add this to the third factor, the desire for people in the psychiatric profession to medically legitimise what they do in order to get it taken seriously and widen the likelihood of people who are suffering seeking help ("it's okay, it's a disease like any physical disease, come and get treated as you would if this was the flu"), no wonder we can't spot mental 'illness' from no 'illness'. The illness is a false construct, but not necessaily one that people in the counselling professions agree with. They are just working within the system.
My view - the only thing that separates a medically depressed person for example, from someone who's just unhappy, is their ability to cope with their life with the feelings they're having and the fact that they asked for, or were given, professional help.
I knew something was wrong with Stewart, and I had a gueas that Yasmin was diagnosed with having a depression disorder.
Don't understand why these "proffesionals" didn't notice it.
But anyway, I never believed in psycholgists/psychiatrists. Psychology isn't a precise science at all, so it's very difficult to rely on it. Even at the times when I was supposed to have therapy, I never thought of taking it, and I managed to go through my life on my own.
I just don't think these people can teach me something that I didn't know about how to lead my life. That's true to all people except people with real mental illness who have to be on observation and must take pills.
And besides, what's being "mad" anyway? I believe that all of us can be diagnozed in having some kind of disorders. It means we must take therapies and pills to get "healthy?" We are human, we are not perfect. Every one of us are individuals, and all these "disorders" are part of our own personlity, part of who we are.
Most psychiatrists are too full of themselves. People who enter this job in the first place, are people who say they "want to help others". That's nice and everything, but think of it in another way - what kind of person do you think you have to be if you think you can "help" everyone? You must be a very, VERY, arrogant person.
And all these psychologists think that are better than their patients. They just don't show it, of course. But that's what they do think, mostly. And I hate being looked from above.
I knew from the beginning that Yasmine has suffered from depression..
Very enjoyable. This should be required viewing for the unkind, judgmental folks of the world.
these hi paid shrinks are getting a lot of money to just say what pleases and supports the pharm industry's pursuit to produce and sell fake treatments for fake diceases.
This is just more proof that shrinks and their relationship with pharm industry's labeling of a so-called 'disease' and a so-called 'treatment' is a conspiracy!!
this is just more proof that shrinks and their relationship with pharm industry's labeling of a so-called 'disease' and a so-called 'treatment' is a conspiracy
I thought there was supposed to be someone in the group with schizophrenia...?? great doc!
This is such a great idea for educating the general public on mental illness. As someone who as personally struggled with depression, I'm really happy to see something like this out there.
Very mind-opening. It is nice to put other people's judgment on the line, even if they were experienced psychiatrists. I personally believe that Vicki might want to consider seeking medical help/counseling. She may have been over looked earlier in her life, and may not be "normal" as they put it.
Say what you want, the older lady appeared unstable to me, the more so after she has denied it. Irrational and defensive, and also apparently half-aware of other people noticing these both traits.
Hmmm. Well, it was an interesting watch as far as entertaining goes. I thought the overall experiment was flawed in the sense that the people all knew they were going to be analyzed mentally... so they might let that consciously or subconsciously influence their behavior. the big picture results were what i expected (wont be able to tell the difference between illness/'normal'), while the 'mystery' of who was part of the 'illness' group had some surprises.
wouldn't recommend it, as it wasn't worth the 2 hr wait to find out that people who had been diagnosed 'ill' years earlier (in some instances) and with conditions that sometimes experience periods of no-symptoms, would be misdiagnosed... i wouldn't expect otherwise.
Didn't work for me either....Took me to a reported 'attack' site, according to my Virus detecting program.. Then it asked me to download their video player.. No thanks!
still cant get this provider to work, followed pt 10 in faq. Should exclude videos from this source. otherwise love the site and thanks
"I wonder if everyone on the planet simultaneously lost their minds, if anyone would be able to distance themselves enough from the situation to realize we had all gone crazy."
-Wiley Wiggins
Very interesting documentary!!!
It clears a lot of stigma around mental disorders. Further, it reveals that labeling people can have social consequences! As one of the participants put it, "never judge a book by its cover."
I rate this documentary an 8/10