MovieChat Forums > My Flesh and Blood (2003) Discussion > question about joes mental illness

question about joes mental illness

posted 17 years ago by noisy_bunny
7 replies | jump to latest

it's been a while since i seen this show, but i remember joe would have violent outbursts. the hbo site says his biological mother was using drugs when she was pregnant with him, and that he had to deal with a lot of psychological challenges and chemical imbalances. does anyone know what mental illness caused him to act that way?

r.i.p
joe

[–] frankmorris20 17 years ago

In an interview with the films director, it was revealed that Joe had Bipolar disorder as well as ADHD and Hyperactivity. It was a combination of those things as well as the fact that Joe was moved from foster home to foster home when he was young. That had made Joe quite confused about living with others.

Hope that helps

[–] staci8605 17 years ago

Joe had many termoils as a kid living from foster home to foster home as well as having cystic fibrosis, bipolar disorder and ADHD. I have Bipolar and ADHD and its a struggle for me each day so i felt the same anger that Joe had thats why i like the movie so much me and Joe were just a like I wish i was able to meet him but sadly he passed away.

[–] glassrose385 14 years ago

I also wondered if Joe was bipolar while watching the documentary. I have a mild form of bipolar but I have a friends who are move severe and Joe reminded me of them. I really felt for Joe and there were times I felt it was bit dangerous for him to be in the house with the other kids.

[–] sun78 14 years ago

Susan also said he had to deal with the fact that he was going to die. I think Joe really did love everyone in his family, he just had those mental problems and cystic fibrosis. Did anyone notice a change in his behavior after the visit from his babysitter. He seemed a lot more loving towards the other kids, like Anthony and told his mom, while in the hospital that one time, that he loved her more than she loved him. Yes, he did get angry at Susan and called her those nasty names, but he was also a very loving kid.

[–] bastets_kitten 13 years ago

He was so loving that he called his mother a slut and may very well have molested one of his sisters. He also threatened to kill people.

Yes, he was a very loving kid. *eyeroll*

[–] Jitterbug88 8 years ago

Susan also said he had to deal with the fact that he was going to die.

I don't think that Joe knew for sure, that he was going to die so young. He knew that he his illness could have been fatal, but didn't seemed preoccupied or concerned with knowing he was dying. He didn't even take proper precautions to avoid becoming seriously ill (ie. when he was supposed to be doing his breathing treatment, and Susan explained to his babysitter that he was only doing "half" his treatment, by not bothering to wear the vest.) When Susan makes mention of Joe being "afraid to say good-bye" after his death, I think she was referring more to him being adopted. He had probably been bounced around from foster home to foster home, not making any real connections, and didn't really allow himself to accept that Susan's home was his permanent home. I work with children in care and I see similar behavior: trust, and anger issues, attachment to biological parents and the belief that someday they will live with them, because that's the only "family" that they feel some sort of a connection to.

[–] RockaDee_Requited 9 years ago

Joe had many mental issues. ADHD and Bipolar disorder being the main culprits of his behavior.

Unfortunately, because of his cystic fibrosis the amount of medications he could take for his mental disorders were limited.

If you see a lot of typos, I probably wrote this^ on my iPad