The Guardian: Readers Recommend: Songs About Mental Illness

Dorian Lynskey
Friday February 29, 2008
The Guardian

In pop music, there is "crazy" and then there is crazy. "Crazy" is Patsy Cline, Beyoncé, Aerosmith, Prince. "Crazy" is fun. Crazy, on the other hand, is Syd Barrett, slipping through the looking glass; or David Bowie's half-brother Terry, whose schizophrenia inspired songs such as Jump They Say; or Daniel Johnston, whose manic depression turns his fans into uneasy voyeurs. Crazy can produce great songwriting, but more often destroys it. Any song that engages with mental illness is to some extent discomfiting, either because it is too flippant or because it is all too real.

Things are going to get heavy, so let's start light. Annie Ross's Twisted, later covered by Joni Mitchell and Bette Midler, is a spirited riposte to the head-shrinkers: "My analyst told me that I was right out of my head/ I said dear doctor, I think that it's you instead." Californian punks Suicidal Tendencies make the same point with rather less elegance and rather more splenetic guitars. "I'm not crazy! You're the one who's crazy!" yelps Mike Muir, crazily.

Before LSD took off, the major threat to garage-rock bands' mental wellbeing appeared to be sexual frustration. If they had got more satisfaction, they might not have turned their amps up so loud, so let's hear it for thwarted libido. On their only hit, the Count Five seethe and fidget, fit to explode.

Though heavy metal later became rusted by cliche, Black Sabbath's Paranoid sounds genuinely unhinged. "I tell you to enjoy life/ I wish I could but it's too late," Ozzy yowls. Mind Playing Tricks On Me is gangsta rap at its most psychologically astute, cracking open the shell of thuggish bravado to reveal young men maddened by paranoia and guilt.

Noah "Panda Bear" Lennox and his mother both spent long periods on antidepressants. Take Pills flushes them away ("I don't want for us to take pills any more") with music that has a woozy, narcotic allure of its own. Choking intensity wracks Tindersticks' 4.48 Psychosis, named after the last play Sarah Kane wrote before hanging herself in 1999. 4.48am was when Kane's manic depression would regularly snap her awake.

Prior to making music, Kevin Coyne was a psychiatric nurse, so he knew better than to treat mental illness lightly. The House On the Hill has the same dishevelled lope as Neil Young's Tonight's the Night: the sound of someone coming undone while asking, "Who on earth will ever understand I'm really trying?"

Finally, two examples of unvarnished autobiography. Kristin Hersh wrote The Letter about her bipolar disorder during her Throwing Muses days, then shelved it because it made her feel sick. A decade later, a friend finally persuaded her to record it. A brave decision - it's distressing to hear, let alone to sing. When Dory Previn was ditched by André for Mia Farrow, she was institutionalised (not for the first time) and wrote songs as therapy. Although Previn's playful phrasing and country twang sweeten the pill a little, the spoken-word coda is indescribably disturbing. Quick, listen to Twisted again.

This week's playlist

1 Twisted Annie Ross
2 Institutionalized Suicidal Tendencies
3 Psychotic Reaction The Count Five
4 Paranoid Black Sabbath
5 Mind Playing Tricks on Me The Geto Boys
6 Take Pills Panda Bear
7 4.48 Psychosis Tindersticks
8 House on the Hill Kevin Coyne
9 The Letter Kristin Hersh
10 Mr Whisper Dory Previn

Give us your recommendations and learn how to download this compilation music.guardian.co.uk/readersrecommend

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The Sunday Times: JK Rowling Considered Suicide While Suffering From Depression Before Writing 'Harry Potter'

Sunday , March 23, 2008

JK Rowling has revealed that she thought of killing herself while suffering from depression as a struggling single mother.

The Harry Potter author says she was prescribed cognitive behavioral therapy after suffering “suicidal thoughts” in the aftermath of separation from her first husband, Jorge Arantes, a Portuguese journalist.

She is now one of the world’s richest women, but at the time lived in a cramped flat in Edinburgh with her baby daughter Jessica. Rowling was only able to afford the rent after a friend paid the deposit. It was there she began writing the first Harry Potter book.

While Rowling, 42, has spoken before of her battle with depression, it is the first time she has admitted that she contemplated suicide. She said she finally sought professional help.

“Mid-twenties life circumstances were poor and I really plummeted,” said Rowling. “The thing that made me go for help . . . was probably my daughter. She was something that earthed me, grounded me, and I thought, this isn’t right, this can’t be right, she cannot grow up with me in this state.”

Rowling said her usual GP was away, and the replacement doctor sent her away. “She said, ‘If you ever feel a bit low, come and speak to the practice nurse’ and dismissed me.”

Rowling added: “We’re talking suicidal thoughts here, we’re not talking ‘I’m a little bit miserable’.

Two weeks later I had a phone call from my regular GP who had looked back over the notes . . . She called me back in and I got counseling through her.

“She absolutely saved me because I don’t think I would have had the guts to go and do it twice.”

Cognitive behavioral therapy typically involves a series of sessions with a counselor and is designed to help patients control negative thoughts. The technique is recommended by the health department for depressive disorders, anxiety, bulimia and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Rowling, whose Harry Potter novels have sold more than 400m copies worldwide and spawned a billion dollar industry, said she was happy to discuss her mental health problems to challenge the stigma associated with depressive illness.

“I have never been remotely ashamed of having been depressed. Never,” she said in an interview with Adeel Amini, 22, for a student magazine at Edinburgh University.

“What’s to be ashamed of? I went through a really rough time and I am quite proud that I got out of that.”

Mental health campaigners welcomed Rowling’s decision to speak publicly about her struggle with suicidal depression.

Celia Richardson, campaigns director of the Mental Health Foundation, said: “JK Rowling is a wonderful role model and it’s brilliant she has chosen to talk about this.”

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The Last Psychiatrist: "But I Wanna Kill Myself!"

on The Last Psychiatrist:

An Open Letter to The Last Psychiatrist, from a guy who hasn't actually read my blog, because if he had, he'd realize I agree with him.

Almost.

He writes:

...Just for kicks and giggles, try this out for a second: imagine you live in a world where there are no lawsuits. I know this is hard for you, as your profession is almost entirely shaped by the fact that there are.

Is it even remotely possible, then, in this world with no lawsuits, that there are people who don't have a "disease" and aren't delusional or out of touch with reality who have thought through all their options and decided, clearly and rationally, that they no longer want to live in this world? Is it possible that some people would be better off ending their lives then continuing on in endless pain?...

...Even in a world with no lawsuits, would you still insist he be kept alive? If so, why? So he would continue to pay your fees? In which case, who are you really helping?

In a world with lawsuits, does it help the patient any to continue to stay alive just so you can collect money and not get sued?

Knowing the answer, is it any wonder that so many people in "treatment" continue to kill themselves anyway?


Suicide is always a choice. Whether it is rational or not is a case by case question. It isn't always irrational (what's euthanasia?) and it isn't always well thought out (obviously.)

1. The answer to your question, "would you keep him alive even if there were no lawsuits" is, yes, almost always. I say "almost always" because there is always the chance that some situation may arise, but I can't imagine it, and it hasn't happened. Lawsuits hardly ever drive my practice, lawyers are rarely on my mind. (see #4.)

What I take issue is that people attribute suicidal thoughts to externalities which are at best mitigating. Zoloft doesn't make you suicidal. Period. It may help, it may make you more emotional, but the act itself is yours. Own up.

2. Can a person have perfectly rational reasons for killing himself? Sure. Does that matter? No.

Here's the reason. No one in George Clooney's America will agree with me, I'm sure, but I am certain they are wrong. "Under perfectly rational conditions, why can't a guy consent to kill himself?" Because your own happiness or misery is a secondary issue, secondary to your existence. Why? Because your life is not yours. It's mostly yours, but to the extent that it affects other people in any way, you have a responsibility to them. Maybe to help them, but at least not to harm them. Your life is a publicly traded company. You may have majority ownership, but you still are subject to a Board and to your shareholders. If you want to kill yourself, everyone you have touched in any way gets to vote. Good luck.

In these posts I am trying to make a very subtle distinction. It is the duty of the psychiatrist to try to do whatever necessary to keep you alive; but it is not his fault (short of gross negligence) if you succeed. Neither is it Zoloft's fault, mania's fault, alcohol's fault, capitalism's fault, your ex's fault...

"You know, if you kill yourself, it puts that option on the table for your kids when they hit your age." Get it?

Let's all hear this at least once: you did not get to choose to be born, neither will you choose to die. If you care nothing about your own life, so be it. But you have a responsibility to improve the lives of those around you-- I don't mean good samaritan style, I don't mean person by person, I mean that your life has a net positive effect on the people in your life, in general. Some people need to get punched in the face, I get that, it's not a nice thing to do, but I'm sympathetic. But overall, miserable or not, you have to leave the world better off than you came into it, to the best of your ability. Miserable or not, painful or not, like Prometheus you will bring fire to man and take from man the expectancy of death, and you will stay chained to the rock.

Mistake me not; I would not, if I might,
Change my misfortunes for thy vassalage.

Lo, I am rockfast, and thy words are wave
That weary me in vain. Let not the thought
Enter thy mind, that I in awe of Zeus
Shall change my nature for a girl's, or beg
The Loathed beyond all loathing-with my hands
Spread out in woman's fashion-to cast loose
These bonds; from that I am utterly removed.

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McSweeney's: Sisyphus Enters Analysis

BY JEFF ALBERS
- - - -
I'm still sensing distraction. I need you to clear your mind. Clear your mind completely. Are you contented? No? You're thinking about that boulder again, aren't you? OK, no, that's fine; it's to be expected. I want you to put it down, just put it down and walk away. No need to look back; it'll roll right back down again, I assure you. I want you to leave that highly stressful environment and instead enter one of peace and serenity. It can be whatever and wherever you like. Picture it vividly, sensually. Now describe what you see.

OK, stop. You shouldn't even be able to see the mountain from where you are. We left that place, remember? I understand it's a mountain and the peak remains visible from a great distance, but we're using our imagination here. We're not bound by topography.

Let's explore why you feel, as you describe it, "chained" to this particular task, even though you admit it affords you little pleasure. Do you see how such behavior might prove self-defeating? It's a prime example of what we in the field call "acting out." And we've seen this before, correct? Has it not been a staple of your every sexual relationship? Persephone wished to spend half the year abroad, absorbing other cultures and customs, and this bothered you a great deal, didn't it? Rather than confront the issue, you chose to bottle it up, to repress it. Now, these feelings can be subdued and left to simmer for a time, but eventually they will erupt, as they did when you trained all three of Cerberus's heads to attack any poor soul toting luggage. You claimed it was a preventive measure, but, really, how many of Hades' residents make a point of traveling?

You may not have realized your motivation at the time, but, with hindsight, we're able to recognize this as an expression of your desperate desire to control situations, often at the expense of those closest to you. We, as mortals, must learn to accept that some things are bound to exceed our grasp, and that these things therefore must be left to God. Gods, yes, plural, excuse me. We must not force the boulder, but instead learn to let it be, to let the boulder merely be.

Very often this type of complex is rooted in a particularly affecting incident in one's childhood, so let's try an exercise. I want you to go back, way back, perhaps back to your formative years at the Lyceum, and describe to me what young Sisyphus is feeling. Anger, yes. Humiliation, good. Well, not good, but ... continue. Why do you—why does he—feel this way? I understand this is difficult, but voicing the hurt inflicted by the cruelty of one's peers can be very cathartic, and, remember, this is a safe, nonthreatening environment. What, exactly, did they call you?

I apologize. Awful timing, really. That was most definitely not a snicker; I choked on my saliva. Must've gone down the wrong pipe. Ever do that? I'm terribly sorry. But so, right, you were prone to these tantrums, these "sissy fits," on account of being separated from your parents, which is a normal and healthy response. I think what's important to keep in mind is that, no matter how hard you may feel you have it, things could always be much worse. Put yourself in Hermes' winged shoes for a moment—no doubt you're aware of his reputation as one who "gets around"—and imagine your dismay when your fellow students happen upon your Valtrex. That taunt practically wrote itself.

I'm afraid we're out of time, though there is one final matter to discuss. You missed our last session, and, because you failed to notify the office in advance, it is our policy to bill you for it. Now, I understand these things happen, but did this "emergency" perhaps involve a rock formation of some kind?

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Seekingmedia.com.au: Only 9% Feel Comfortable Discussing Depression at Work Despite Epidemic

From seekingmedia.com.au:

31-03-2008

With the World Health Organisation predicting that depression will be the second most disabling disease in the world by 2020, it is of great concern that only 9% of people living with depression feel comfortable discussing their illness with work colleagues.

A new report reveals that although the WHO predicts that depression will be the second most disabling disease in the world by 2020; recent research shows that only 9% of people living with depression feel comfortable talking about it with fellow employees.

This is despite a recent study by the University of Queensland which demonstrated that there was a 492% return on investment for a program they evaluated which identified employees with depression early, and appointed a case manager, who encouraged them to seek help, and monitored their progress.

Read more here ...

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Taipei Times: If everyone is ill, then no one is

Tapei Times
By Christopher Lane
Tuesday, Apr 01, 2008

The US has reached a point where almost half its population is described as being in some way mentally ill, and nearly a quarter of its citizens -- 67.5 million -- have taken antidepressants.

These eye-popping statistics have sparked a widespread, sometimes rancorous debate about whether people are taking far more medication than is needed for problems that may not even be mental disorders.

Studies indicate that 40 percent of all patients fall short of the diagnoses that doctors and psychiatrists give them, yet 200 million prescriptions are still written annually in the US to treat depression and anxiety.

Those who defend such widespread use of prescription drugs insist that a significant part of the population is under-treated and, by inference, under-medicated. Those opposed to such rampant use of drugs note that diagnostic rates for bipolar disorder, in particular, have skyrocketed by 4,000 percent and that overmedication is impossible without over-diagnosis.

To help settle this long-standing dispute, I studied why the number of recognized psychiatric disorders has ballooned so dramatically in recent decades.

Read the rest of the article here ...

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UrbanMonk.net: Change your thoughts and change your life – The Art of Cognitive Reframing

From UrbanMonk.net:

We never, ever, see the world as it is. Our awareness – our beliefs, past conditionings, upbringing, the list goes on – these distort everything we see. They creep into every interpretation and misinterpretation.

This is obvious; you must have seen it for yourself. The same person can elicit very different reactions, wildly varying feelings in a crowd of onlookers. One man looks at a beautiful woman; he feels a sense of yearning. Another sees a potential new friend, and yet another shies away – he will never be good enough for her.

One of the most painful misinterpretations lies in self-perception. How do you see yourself? Realistic self concepts are rare, but a negatively distorted perception ruins lives. Weaknesses are magnified, assets and strengths are ignored. We have a tendency to compare; this leads to low self-esteem; a strong feeling of inadequacy and constant unhappiness.

A low self-esteem is the proverbial ball and chain; it drags you down in almost every area of your life – from your romances and your relationships to your work, your ability to achieve your goals.

This is a mixture of techniques that has worked tremendously well – it is based on cognitive psychology, with a touch of Zen.

Read more and take the Self Concept Inventory here...

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