New Indie/Documentary on Bipolar I: A Summer in the Cage

by Bill
(Rohnert Park, CA. U.S.A.)

Sam, New York, 2000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZANTo_czzPE

Sam, late onset Bipolar I, Masters Degree, father had manic depression.

A SUMMER IN THE CAGE is filmmaker Ben Selkow's feature-length documentary chronicling his friend Sam's battle with manic-depressive illness, also known as bipolar disorder. The film follows Sam for seven years as he suffers delusional manic episodes, battles paralyzing depressions, and tries to escape the legacy of his father.
BUY THE DVD: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002...

Personal note:

This movie has interviews with Kay Redfield Jamison. A caveat in that it is still an ongoing story, and Sam is very isolated compared to many later 2000's bipolars who manage their illness with close contact of therapists or bipolar groups. The film maker Ben Selkow did not know much about the illness, but he does effectively look at many issues so the movie is successful. We all need to pull for Sam, as the condition is manageable from either end of spiritual or medicinal treatment, and in the middle. Sam at end of film felt somewhat exploited...anyway.

Not to embolden any grandiosity or delusion, but bipolar as an aspect of ratcheted up "prophetic" tradition, in fact if Colin Powell had been Vice President, 9/11 may have never happened, and we certainly would have less likely invaded Iraq. In retrospect the uneasiness of Sam in 2000 cannot be entirely discounted after what happened the following 7 years.

Sorry for this cookiness, as folks who are inverted and deluded can rationalize anything. Mania is a very selfish state, but even certain ancient ideas of legality and social equanimity are based on prophetic traditions. The very word authority, or auctoritas:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auctoritas

Was in reality entwined with the Augurs whom the earliest Romans looked to for important decisions:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augur

One of the comments on the youtube video, as follows:

"What makes a difference for managing bipolar, is to participate in a weekly discussion group with a therapist and other bipolars, at least for a couple of years. Isolation can accentuate the vulnerability and self deception, because you don't have mirrors around you who both have compassion, and the same issues. The learning curve and self deception (are) less in group setting (a check against delusions)."