MovieChat Forums > Prozac Nation (2003) Discussion > Depression? More like Bi-polar disorder.

Depression? More like Bi-polar disorder.

posted 18 years ago by lakario
34 replies | jump to latest

Now, I have not read the book, so I cannot say how well this movie related to the novel, but I can certainly say it was a a very well produced look at a incredibly painful disorder. From my own personal experience, and also just having seen the way Elizabeth's character behaved, I would have to say she'd be much more adequately diagnosed with bi-polar disorder rather than simply depression.

Watching this film, I felt like Rafe must have. The father-centered seperation anxiety, the violent mood swings, the unexplainable obsessive behavior, and the feeling of hallowness on Elizabeth's part; they were all replicas of what I went through with my ex-girlfriend who was diagnosed with and has now recovered from- [or at least learned to cope with] bi-polar disorder.

Depression is different for every person with it, there is no standard formula to a diagnosis, and as such I have to say that all the other comments in this film's discussion board attempting to discredit Elizabeth's depression are completely baseless and unfounded. One cannot know what depression is like until they have experienced it, either personally, or through a loved one.

This movie does an incredible job of exploring the darkness that is depression, a disorder that plagues countless individuals throughout the world. It is no surprise that 300 something million Americans take anti-depressants yearly given the society we live in. There is so much stress in our society on personal accomplishment and success, that many people do not actually have the chance to appreciate the beautiful things in life. Elizabeth found herself dependant on her writing to maintain her happiness, and when she lost the ability to write, she lost the only thing she truly loved; that, on top of the mounting anxieties she had faced since childhood lead her down a path of self-loathing from which there was no easy escape. As films go, I feel this one did an fantastic job capturing the essence of the subject through excellent script writing, and terrific acting.

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I intially wanted to see the film simply for that first scene... but having watched it all the way through, I cannot say I am the least bit disappointed.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] JimHaze37 17 years ago

You can be diagnosed with unipolar or bipolar depression -- what she had is more of a bipolar depression vs. the more common unipolar depression.

.....Or My Name Ain't Nathan Arizona

[–] briefreflection 18 years ago

You should be a writer! This is a marvelous and well-written post... I have to say I side with you on most everything you said, and I along with my Dad, have experienced severe depression and drug-dependency.. It takes a toll and everything just turns to a disoriented fog of darkness and even the simplest task cannot be completed at times.

[–] Serious_Vanity 18 years ago

I agree with you. Everything in the movie made me think bi-polar. I was mis-diagnosed with depression and recently diagnose with bi-polar. I can totally relate to her not being able to write too. And I'm with brief, that was very well written.

[–] erin-broussard 18 years ago

I second/third/fourth all those who think it seems more like bipolar, as well that you are a good writer. I am bipolar myself, and totally see it as well. Now, I have not read the book, but it appears it started after her experience with X, which can totally wreak havoc on the brains serotonin levels. I have a cousin who is also bipolar and who used to use X and it would always trigger a cycle (bipolar)... did anyone else consider this?? Not that the X made her depressed/bipolar, but seemed to maybe trigger the disease that was maybe lying dormant???

[–] mikatmich 18 years ago

Majority of the people who are bipolar suffer from depression.

[–] lakario 18 years ago

Thank you for the compliments; I don't usually have the occassion to relate to a topic so directly.

I'm glad you agree with my assessment. I was reading through this forum prior to posting this originally and it was just very irritating to see all these completely uninformed individuals making judgements on the characters from this film without so much as an inkling of personal experience to back their opinions.

[–] flygirl0129 18 years ago

Actually, I have read Prozac Nation and she does talk about it being bi-polar disorder. She talks about when she's manic as well as when she's depressed.

I have yet to see the movie, so I can't pass any judgements on how they made her disorder appear.

[–] RadPants 18 years ago

If you liked the book this movie will only piss you off. It is practically nothing like the book.

[–] Mean_Green 18 years ago

I read the book before the movie and I loved the movie and hated the book.

I hate listening to depressed people talk about their misery.

I know what being depressed is like in excrutiating detail, thanks.

But seeing it on screen is oddly cathartic in a way that reading it isn't.

The book kind of bored me.

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[–] RadPants 18 years ago

Agreed. Except that bi-polar disorder is never cured. It is something you have to live with your whole life. You can get treatment and learn to control it but it will never go away completely.

If you enjoyed this movie you should really read the book. It is SO INCREDIBLY different from the movie and so much better.

[–] fragile-moon-fairy 18 years ago

I don't think she had bi polar. There are alot of types of depression and I know she is one of them. I think a-typical or something. I can't be bothered writing about all the types but there is!

[–] avalove3 17 years ago

I think it is clear she has Borderline Personality Disorder. Maybe some bi-polar with that. And with all those a sympton IS depression.

[–] riot_girl_xxx 17 years ago

she has depression plain and simple and probably a coinciding anxiety disorder...there is too much stigma attached to clinical diagnoses, this is textbook such and such...i have depression, i have agoraphobia and i also have ocd, they intermingle so much with each other...

what i havent read in any of these posts is her drug and alcohol use...this isnt bipolar, this is depression heightened with the highs and lows of subtance abuse...she has manic phases and deep depression stages becuase she further added to her brain's imbalance with chemical abuse...taking prozac and drinking and smoking pot and other chemical drugs is giong to induce manic, paranoia and lots of other fun things including being fatal

she does not have a personality disorder, personality disorders are rarely if ever corrected...people read symptom listings and figure they can diagnose someone...well in that case, being the hypochondriac net symptom surfer extraordinaire...i have schizophrenia, bipolar, parkinson's, MS, cancer, tumors, psychotic depression, dysthmia, u name it!! she has severe depression and fear, and fear is expressed with anger and her substance abuse on top of her depression make for a very volatile person with severe mood swings up and down...

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] 17 years ago

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[–] riot_girl_xxx 17 years ago

no there is a very large distinction between BPD and depression...first of all, mood swings in BPD are very short in length, they will literally go from love to hate in seconds, lasting minutes in a rage and then back to normal...this does NOT happen in depression, the moods last longer, all days, days, weeks, even months, they do NOT cahnge within minutes...

watching this u can very obviously see the moods do not alter back and forth in minutes or seconds which is the telltale difference for BPD...BPD is a very serious diagnosis and with her benefiting from the effects of taking an SSRI, shows it is depression and depression only...there is no medication for BPD, it is not chemical on any level, it is completley environmental and a learned behavoir, no amount of anti-depressant is going to rid the symptoms of BPD, only hard work, time and practice, will get results and even the results may not be dramatic...its a lifetime thing...for her to switch out of the depression into almost an entirely new person in time is not a personality disorder, its an emotional disorder such as depression

[–] imshakin4rooney 17 years ago

I agree that she probably does have a bipolar disorder, but I believe she does address her that in the book. I believe she does say something about her "manic depression." Also, most people have depression on top of there bi polar disorder so she probably has both. I am on a mood stabilizer as well as an anti depressant.

[–] xxxxpradaxxxxx 17 years ago

To say that she has Depression on top of Bipolar Disorder is incorrect.

Manic Depression/Bipolar Disorder consist of a "Manic" Cycle, and then an Eventual "Depression" Cycle. They have to be both evident in order for someone to be diagnosed with: Manic Depressive/Bipolar. Although The Cycles may be difficult to make out at first.. depending on the person.

Some people have cycles that last months... Yep thats right, a month or two of a manic episode, which can include massive spending sprees, questionable acts of promiscuity, exagerrated expenditures on work, and to some extent extremely strange quirks that can be misperceived as OCD.

Shortly thereafter a Depression Cycle which can last just as long...

Mind you, It doesn't matter which comes first, Depression/Mania, Mania/Depression.

And if you have a Manic Episode for a week, it doesn't necessarily mean that the depression Episode will last a week either.

Depression and Mania have to be both evident in order for it to be Bipolar/Manic Depressive.

If not your just Manic, or Just Depressed.

[–] imshakin4rooney 17 years ago

I know all about Bi-Polar. The thing I'm trying to say is that Bi-Polar is a pattern of mood swings, but if the mania comes in a pattern but the depression doesn't, it's often diagnosed as a Bi-Polar Disorder AND Clinical Depression.

[–] FabBletT 17 years ago

Everybody should have read the book first of all. Although, I really liked your ideas with Bi-polar disorder, but this movie is really-really different from the book. At the end of the novel, Elizabeth announced, that she had "a-typical depression".(as you remember it was the memoir)

[–] x_twistedglamour 17 years ago

Actually, at the end of the novel Elizabeth said she suffered from atypical depression, but her psychiatrist agreed she probably also had a chemical inbalance, and there was talk of her being bipolar. So there xP

[–] jprince11 17 years ago

The DSM-IV-TR, a widely used manual for diagnosing mental disorders, defines Atypical Depression as a subtype of depression or dysthymia, characterized by Atypical Features:

A. Mood reactivity (i.e., mood brightens in response to actual or potential positive events:
B. At least two of the following:
Significant weight gain or increase in appetite
Hypersomnia (sleeping too much, as opposed to the insomnia present in melancholic depression)
Leaden paralysis (i.e., heavy, leaden feelings in arms or legs) cause=hypersomnia
long-standing pattern of interpersonal rejection sensitivity (not limited to episodes of mood disturbance) that results in significant social or occupational impairment
C. Criteria are not met for Melancholic Depression or Catatonic Depression during the same episode

from wikipedia

[–] tmac1227 17 years ago

The abbreviation for Bipolar Disorder is BD. BPD is the abbreviation for Borderline Personality Disorder.

[–] Ciao_Bella_Kate 12 years ago

This is true. I can certainly attest to the fleeting mood swings that arise with Borderline Disorder. I thought maybe she had some underlying BPD until I read your comment, which I completely agree with.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] sjones-72 17 years ago

I appreciate the time you spent in writing this post, however, I must disagree with your opinion. I have read Prozac Nation. I am also a Psychology major, and most importantly, I have Bipolar II Disorder. Because of my own experiences with bipolar disorder, it's easy for me to tell when someone actually has it. None of us actually know Elizabeth. However, a close reading of Prozac Nation reveals that the author is suffering from atypical depression.

I'd also like to add that no one 'recovers' from bipolar disorder. One learns to cope with it, or at least to hide it, but the disorder never, ever goes away. That's one of the horrible things about mental illness.

[–] esarah1990 17 years ago

Wurtzel does have mood swings typical of bipolar disorder, but, in reality, she was diagnosed with atypical depression.