Stories of Success Through Darkness

One of the most brilliant comedians and actors of our time, Robin Williams is without a doubt a Story of Success Through Darkness.   But his death, by suicide, has recently been denied and debunked, instead being attributed to a little-known degenerative condition called Lewy Body Dementia, which symptoms and results appear to mirror the many similarities of those who died due to suffering from severe clinical depression.  This episode delves into the taboo topic of suicide in the hopes that it's erasure arise because of a better understanding of mental illness by all and that those who are suffering seek the help they need and retain the awareness that through time, treatment, and love, this too shall pass.

Harry Potter:  "Tell me one last thing Professor," said Harry.  "Is this real?  Or has this all been happening inside my head?"

Professor Dumbledore:  "Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why should that mean that it is not real?"

- J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Is Kanye West, the critically acclaimed rapper, who has won 21 Grammys and numerous other accolades in the music and fashion industry, a story of success who has positively impacted the world?   Or, is he a narcissistic, unapologetic, irrational, and uncontrollable ticking time bomb waiting to explode and become another example of a person with bipolar disorder, when left untreated, to be another enormous talent who succumbs to the devastating toll of mental illness?  Or could he be just the right person at just the right time to inspire millions of others who are suffering with mental illness to finally seek help for themselves?      

"In this sad world of ours, sorrow comes to us all and it often comes with bitter agony.  Perfect relief is not possible except with time.  You cannot now believe that you will ever feel better.  But this is not true.  You are sure to be happy again.  Knowing this, truly believing it, will make you less miserable now.  I have had enough experience to make this statement."

- Abraham Lincoln

*New and Improved, this episode profiles Rock N' Roll icon Bruce Springsteen, who has courageously and openly discussed his battles with clinical depression and mania.  In this episode, Bruce - in his own words - describes, explores, and details his experiences with mental illness.  Check out Bruce's amazing story of success through darkness.

Jane Pauley is a broadcast journalist with a television career spanning more than 30 years.  In 2001 she became "very sick" and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.  For three weeks, she was a patient at the Payne Whitney Psychiatric Clinic in New York City.   "Some people say the high-energy phase of mania is almost worth the devil of depression that lurks behind it.  I am living proof it's not."  "In my journalism career, I don't know that I can say that I ever really changed a life, but I think in my mental health advocacy, I actually have."

Ted Turner is a brilliant American Media Mogul, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who has also had to battle and struggle his whole life with bipolar disorder.  Despite his father's struggle with the same illness and eventual suicide, Turner persisted through hard work, creative innovation, and the desire to never quit in business or in life and his determination to make it to the top and to make the world a better place.  Ted Turner has taught us that "The mind is just another muscle" and that "Man should be judged, not by the amount of money in his bank account, but by the deeds he has done to help his fellow man".  In this episode, Ted Turner offers, in his own words, valuable tips about ways to manage and overcome bipolar disorder.

Winston Churchill, one of the greatest leaders the world has ever known, who helped inspire his nation to victory against Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany, also struggled with prolonged bouts of depression and is believed to have suffered from bipolar disorder.  This episode explores and examines how Churchill, while leading the charge against Nazi Germany was also simultaneously leading a personal charge against his own depression and mania.