See here's the problem I have with people being so critical about the diagnosis: (EDIT: I realize now that April Saul was talking more about the handling of medication than the actual diagnosis, so this doesn't really apply too much to that haha. But there WAS also talk about how realistic Diana's actual condition was too)
to me, it actually seems very
realistic, because the fact is that the brain is a VERY complex thing, and the symptoms of mental illness aren't always that concrete. It's not like a broken bone where you can look at an x-ray and know for sure what it is. Each case is individual and unique.
And I do actually have personal experience with this, because my mom has gone through some serious bouts of bipolar disorder, depression, and a few other things (in fact, the very first thing she said after the show ended was "that hit too close to home, but it was great"). Granted she's never been quite to the extreme that Diana was, but there have been some very odd times. Perfect example of how mental stuff can be really random: a while back (like a good 8 years ago or so), my mom was going to this therapist who was convinced that she had multiple personality dissorder. Now, we figure now that this probably wasn't true, but the therapist would hypnotize her and she'd start assuming different "characters" that she'd made up in her mind. And eventually she actually DID start showing all the signs of multiple personality dissorder in every day life. One minute she'd be her regular self, and the next she'd become.. someone else, new name and all. It was very, very strange, and NOTHING she'd ever done before. But just because this therapist had so convinced her that it was real, she started showing the symptoms. Then, when she stopped going to that therapist, it completely went away and she's never had any problems with it ever since.
Basically, I guess what I'm trying to say is just that the mind can be very strange sometimes, and sometimes the things that a person does, or sees, or feels, doesn't make a whole lot of sense. But that doesn't mean it can't happen or that it's unrealistic. Yes, there can also be clear cut cases where a person is SOLELY bipolar or schizophrenic, but there's also a lot of cases where it IS very difficult to pinpoint just what's going on. And that is the case with Diana. And it makes a lot of sense to me, because I've SEEN it.
and as far as the whole "needing medication" thing:
again, I think it REALLY just depends on the individual person. In
Diana's case, the medication helped in a sense, but they made her feel so... "blah" about everything (haha, I couldn't think of another way to put it) that she opted not to use it. But that DOESN'T mean that the show is saying medication is bad. And in fact, when she stops using the meds she tries to commit suicide. She
recognizes that she probably should have stayed on them. And the ECT works too- it helps her to gain the clarity she needs to make the next step. It just so happens that really, what she needs more than anything is to be on her own- or at least not always have Dan there. Again, these things are highly individual, and that's what SHE needed to do. That doesn't mean it's what other people would need to do. I could give another anecdote about my mom for that one too, but I'll refrain haha.
I don't need a life that's normal. That's way too far away. But something next to normal would be okay. Something next to normal is what I'd like to try. Close enough to normal to get by.
Updated On: 2/15/08 at 01:22 PM
