State Bar PSA: Hamilton | Judicial Funding

Mental Illness in the Movies

I'm not sure I like the way mental illness was portrayed in the movie Melancholia. I saw it in Atlanta this weekend. I won't mention the cinematography other than to note that the director knows how to make a pretty picture, though the bouncing, twirling camera angles are a little dated like "flow of consciousness" in literature - Joyce and Faulkner proved it could be done, but there's no reason for anyone to do it again. The major premise of the movie, however, was a major fail.

As an advocate for people suffering with disabilities, primarily in the context of Social Security disability claims, I deal with clients' depression in almost every one of my cases.  People who've been out of work for a long time and who are in constant pain almost always suffer from at a situational depression and are at risk of developing major depressive disorder.

In Melancholia, the main character in Part I, Justine, appeared to suffer from bipolar disorder.  The movie romaticized or valorized or something-ized her illness, making it appear that the disease gave her aspecial insight into the appropriate way to conduct oneself in the face of the impending end of all life.

If you or a loved one suffer from a serious mental illness, you know that there is nothing redeeming about it.  It is not a blessing in any way whatsoever.

If you suffer from a mental illness, please make sure you are getting treatment.

Christmas Safety

Several years ago when I was still a student, I rented a room in a boarding house in Macon owned by a retired French professor.  He's been dead now for a couple of years, but he was already eighty-something years old then and the most delightful gentleman you'd ever meet.
He called me downstairs one evening as Christmas approached to admire the tree that his niece had helped him put up earlier that day.  I listened to him as he pointed out each of the ornaments on the tree and with the excitement of an eight-year-old, told its story.  As he got to some of the older ones, some of which were worth hundreds and maybe even thousands of dollars as antiques, he got wistful as he began recalling the most magnificent tree he had ever seen.
It was one his father brought home, and from his description, it must have been twenty feet tall or more.  He was a true poet and as he spoke, he evoked the smell of evergreen on a cold winter night. And as he described the decorations, he emphasized that it was covered with burning candles.
"Candles? (!?)"
"Oh yes, candles," he said.  "We didn't have electricity then, you see."
I've still got the image in my mind of a twenty-foot tall Christmas tree in a high-ceilinged living room as brilliant and as big as ET's spaceship, but the thought of it being lit by candles horrifies me, especially when I'm scared of the artificial tree in my living room with its LED lighting.  (My kids have long since nicknamed me "Super Safety," but in my job, I've seen a lot of harm done by just a little bit of carelessness.)
The national Consumer Product Safety Commission has a trifold brochure that can give you some ideas about Christmas safety and its worth a read.  Not surprisingly, it is specifically recommended that you not use candles on your tree.  Another interesting point is to make sure you're picking a fresh tree if you want a live tree.  The brochure has instructions on how to test the condition of the tree you pick.
Be safe, and have a happy holiday season.