Jim Carrey: Depression Expert

I like both Jim Carrey and Robin Williams, but when you see them on talk shows, they often appear to be very manic, don't they? Almost obsessed with pleasing the audience, not very relaxed and laid back. I think that this is where you should look for the connection between (some) comedians and depression.

I've often thought (well not that often) that getting the proper dose of Lithium into Carey would impove his life considerably. But then you could probably say that about anyone born in Newmarket. :eek:
 
Sorry for the derail but how about Owen Wilson?! poor guy. I don't know what it is about comedians but it seems most of them have a fast-track to depression.
There's an old observation that there is a very fine line between comedy and tragedy. Often the one is a way of coping with the latter. Look behind many comedians, especially those known for biting social satire and "pushing the envelope", and you'll often see an unpleasant past, and they're notoriously bad at personal relationships. Lenny Bruce and Peter Sellers being the most classic examples.

Like others, I have never found Jim Carrey funny. He's too exaggerated and mannered, and tends to rely to heavily on crude caricature. I despise how he butchers Dr. Seuss characters. However, IMO he's a brilliant dramatic actor. I honestly believe that no one else could have pulled off Andy Kaufman nearly as well as he did in Man on the Moon; and he hit exactly the right tone as Joel Barish in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
 
Why shouldn't we listen to him on matters of nutrition and mental health? I mean, he's a big celebrity and he's made some pretty funny movies. He also makes a lot of money per flick and although he's had a couple bombs, most of them are pretty damn successful.

I mean, sure he's not a rock n' roller, but I think actors are a close second for informed opinion on absolutely everything from politics to health, right?
 
You might not think he's funny, but this book thing really is a joke. Which is pretty funny.
 
No really, it was just a joke. He's not really writing a book on depression.

Too funny.
 
Hey, did I miss something? 46 posts and no one's mentioned Jim Carreys's contribution to elightenment of the Science of Mental Health called "Me , Myself & Irene"?
 
Robinson, can you even explain why supplements would be more effective and safer than drugs? If they have an effect they are a drug, Period end of sentence. But why would say an herb with active compounds plus a whole boat load of similar compounds be safer and dosed more reliably than a purified active compound?
 
There's an old observation that there is a very fine line between comedy and tragedy. Often the one is a way of coping with the latter. Look behind many comedians, especially those known for biting social satire and "pushing the envelope", and you'll often see an unpleasant past, and they're notoriously bad at personal relationships. Lenny Bruce and Peter Sellers being the most classic examples.

Like others, I have never found Jim Carrey funny. He's too exaggerated and mannered, and tends to rely to heavily on crude caricature. I despise how he butchers Dr. Seuss characters. However, IMO he's a brilliant dramatic actor. I honestly believe that no one else could have pulled off Andy Kaufman nearly as well as he did in Man on the Moon; and he hit exactly the right tone as Joel Barish in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

well said.

(bolded) agreed. Though from listening to the commentary track of ESotSM, he had to be reigned in--he argued with the director (Gondry) that he wasn't able to do his thing in some scenes.
 
Robinson, can you even explain why supplements would be more effective and safer than drugs? If they have an effect they are a drug, Period end of sentence.

If you change the definition of an essential vitamin or amino acid to "drug", then what is the point of a discussion about nutrition? Everything that effects our health is now called a drug. There is no nutrition, just a lack of drugs.

This sort of mangling of language is the opposite of science, which tries to use exact and clear meanings for words.

Of course nature often resist our efforts to classify and describe things. There should be an entire topic on depression and "nutrients", as the two are so closely related as to be impossible to seperate.
 
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But why would say an herb with active compounds plus a whole boat load of similar compounds be safer and dosed more reliably than a purified active compound?

I don't really know. In many cases, a plant is the basis of a drug, and we do purify and standardize the dose. Or synthesize the active ingredient. It is often cheaper. But not always. Opiates are still made from Opium.

Based on research, some herb compounds have so many active ingrediants, it is almost impossible to find out what does what, and the active ingrediants interact with each other, or worse, are changed by the body into other molecules, which then interact. But this is about nutrition, not herbs. Well, it would be if the topic wasn't a joke.
 
It really doesn't matter if that dork is writing a book or not, it matters how they are still working to push an insane agenda.

When supplements were deregulated to be treated as food, guess who got really really happy? The same people that will tell you that ALL drugs are bad, and unregulated anything under the sun is good even though they don't have to prove it.

Now guess what is laced with drugs to help consumers buy more of it? That's right, "all natural" supplements. You don't know what you're getting when you buy supplements anymore. It quite often is more than just vitamins, or not even vitamins. They are not regulated for safety, for what they contain, or for efficacy.


High Arsenic Levels Found In Herbal Kelp Supplements
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070406140955.htm

Chinese Dietary Supplements Contain Viagra
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,319172,00.html

Food supplement contaminated by steroid
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2000/11/23/doping001123.html



So, we can quibble about effects of vitamins, which do keep you from being nutrient difficient, if you are at risk of being nutrient deficient and getting things like scurvy, but keep in mind that it's buyer beware out there with these supplements.
 
Good points about the dangers of "supplements" and "herbal remedies". If you eat well, you shouldn't need an supplements. Vitamins are often produced cheaply, and without oversight, they are often overpriced, and worthless.

The German steroid article was interesting.

All Stars Fitness Products said traces of the steroid found in its Speed Creatine chewable tablets were extremely small, but enough to be detected by state-of-the-art doping tests. The company explained that the contamination resulted from residue of the steroid in shipping containers used by one of the company's suppliers of raw materials.
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2000/11/23/doping001123.html

Without the extremely sensitive testing of athletes, nobody would have ever known it was even there. It wasn't a health risk, it was a testing risk.

Creatine is an amino acid that occurs naturally in liver, kidney and pancreas. In food supplement form, creatine is a favourite of athletes who want to increase their strength and muscle mass, but it is not a banned a substance.

Neither is androstenedione - better known as andro, the substance made notorious by Mark McGwire during his record home run season in 1998 - but new research shows that it, too, can cause positive tests for nandrolone.

Again, the findings may bear out the claims of a spate of athletes who tested positive for nandrolone in recent months - claims that the positive tests resulted from taking a legal substance.

Andro is not currently classified as an anabolic steroid, although it has been shown to raise testosterone levels in the blood. A federal study in the U.S. is now being conducted to determine whether andro helps build muscle size and strength, which could lead to its becoming a banned anabolic steroid.
A federal study in the U.S. is now being conducted to determine whether andro helps build muscle size and strength, which could lead to its becoming a banned anabolic steroid

So anything that builds muscle and strength gets banned? What a strange world.

The arsenic in kelp, along with the latest trend in toxins coming from China, is one reason I am skeptical of products. Without regular testing, how do you know what is even in something? Same for foods and bottled water.

Without oversight and real watchdogs, you could be eating almost anything these days in your food.

A real problem.
 
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You don't mind things willy nilly building up your muscle without knowing how much to take to remain in safe levels? I guess that's your choice. There's lots of products out there that fly under the radar, so there's still lots to choose from if you really want it.

Athletes don't appreciate getting banned. I could find other articles that show the supplements contain enough steroid to have an effect, but that's not the point.

There's a line that is crossed, and I appreciate knowing when things cross the line from unregulated food product to drugs that have more of an effect than nutritional. There was a case of contaminated juice. The juice was shipped after pesticide was, but the shipper didn't wash out the truck first. That was caught only after people got sick. I'm sure a lot is not caught.

But the point was... supplements are not regulated, and problems are only found when something happens... like when people end up in hospital with arsenic poison, or an athelet undergoes drug testing. These things are not found before the stuff gets to your mouth. You won't find arsenic in aspirin though.
 
Effexor was far and away the most frightening compound I have ever put in my body. I think it is far more potentially dangerous than the vast majority of recreational chemicals.

I've taken Effexor for probably 8 years now. The quality of my life has vastly improved because of it. I've had bouts of depression since early childhood. Now, I don't break down crying uncontrollably on Monday mornings or have unexplained anxiety attacks for no reason. I've tried weaning myself off Effexor a few times, and I get the same symptoms back.

Effexor may be "dangerous" if improperly prescribed, but it has literally saved my life.
 

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