Expert Warning Over TV Diagnosis

A Scottish expert on manic depression has warned people against self-diagnosing the illness after a high profile documentary by Stephen Fry. Dr Benjamin Baig, who worked on Scotland’s national guidelines for bipolar disorder, said he was not convinced the evidence presented in the programme showed the comedian suffered from the condition.

Dr Baig, a lecturer in psychiatry at Edinburgh University, is concerned the footage may prompt people to attribute mood swings wrongly to manic depression, or “worryingly” misdiagnose their children.

He said: “Even if you look on the BBC website now with people writing in, you have people who seem to have mild up-swings and down-swings to their mood who are asking if they have bipolar disorder.”

Fry’s two-part documentary, The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive, sparked widespread interest in the condition and has been applauded for challenging the stigma surrounding mental illness.

Dr Baig also said he was pleased the programme had raised the profile of bipolar disorder, but feared it could become a “trendy” diagnosis.

The psychiatrist stressed sufferers of bipolar illness experienced both periods of depression and periods of mania or hypermania. The latter, he said, was characterised by elevated mood, grandiose beliefs, racing thoughts, poor sleep and appetite, and increased libido and energy.

Dr Baig said: “There can be little doubt from his account that Fry has suffered from depressive episodes, but he certainly did not give a convincing account of a manic behaviour.

“He did describe an instance in his late teens when he travelled around the country for several months with other peoples’ credit cards spending excessively. He gives a history from his school days of, uncharacteristically, stealing. He reported contemplating suicide after a first night’s performance and escaping to France. While these behaviours may be seen as erratic and disorganised, they may sooner reflect Stephen Fry’s personality than a true manic episode.

“Furthermore, his admitted use of cocaine would undoubtedly cause mood swings and complicate such a diagnosis.”

During the programme, Fry said he was given the diagnosis of bipolarity after walking out of a West End play 11 years ago.

The documentary also showed him visiting Professor Nick Craddock, of the Neuropsychiatric Genetics Unit at Cardiff University, who uses a process involving 200 questions to build a picture of patients’ manic depression. Professor Craddock said he would probably score around 70, adding: “You fit well into the realm of people who have full-blown manic episodes.”
Other patients were also featured who described hallucinations and delusions they were a messiah.

Dr Baig said if Fry did suffer manic episodes, it was a shame the documentary did not make this clearer. “Such a programme may mislead viewers into self diagnosis and, worryingly, wrongly diagnosing their children,” he added.

The BBC spokesman said the series was not made to establish whether or not Fry has manic depression, but to reduce the stigma about the illness, and raise awareness. He added: “The serious nature of the condition was highlighted and the commentary frequently explained bipolarity is much more than mild mood swings.”

Fry declined to comment further on the issue.