S2 E29: Mental Health, Russia & The UN: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Season 2, Episode 29, October 4th, 2015. John Oliver explains how our national system of treating mental health does and does not work, Russia begins air strikes in Syria, and the UN hosts a general debate.
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[@sassafrassiest]

Sometimes it’s nice to watch old episodes and be like “Well, we didn’t solve the problem highlighted by the main piece, but on the bright side… the awful world leader from the clip at the beginning is dead now!”

[@JeanneEdelman-gr5ox]

I'm willing to bet 95% of his material has not changed in the 10 years since it aired.

[@DaDunge]

Who is dead now? Putin, Lukashenko, and al'assad are all alive as I recall.

[@magicianstuff]

Putin? He's still alive

[@sassafrassiest]

@@magicianstuff I was talking about Mugabe

[@TheUltimateYouTuberyay]

@@JeanneEdelman-gr5ox Yeah, because 95% of the world hasn't fucking changed in 10 years.

[@angelabennett8245]

I'm really enjoying going through all these episodes. I'm binge watching the hell out of Last Week Tonight. Thank you.

[@asamlos]

As a severely mentally ill person who has been intimately involved in mental healthcare since before I was in preschool, I've seen so many of the cracks - and they're still there. I'm honestly terrified of what will happen to me in the future because I can't live independently and my grip on reality can go from rock-solid to tenuous really quickly. We desperately need to fund the mental health safety net; there are so many people like me who fear what the future will bring because as we walk this tightrope we are deeply aware that only cobwebs will try to catch us should we fall.

[@freshnorthwest6756]

vote for republicans and they they will GLADLY strip away your health care... read 2025.... actually read it, their plan is to make you into a total outcast and force you out of society... NOBODY should want that for themselves. Everything im saying is DIRECTLY in the plan, i hope you choose to not deny it and vote for who actually cares about your health.

[@glenjennett]

Trust me, you are not alone feeling that way. It is my opinion that most of us have mental health issues and some don't even know it. I don't like to say mental illness because that makes it sound like there is something wrong with a person and I don't feel that way. Everyone is different and some of us just have issues that help us stand apart from everyone else. You managed to make a coherent and self-acknowledging comment on here and that tells me that there is nothing wrong with you. You are aware of your own intricacies and that's something that many people do not realize about themselves. I have suffered with depression and other issues my entire life, but never seen a doctor or been diagnosed, yet I have managed to survive. I struggle with some things, but I don't let anything get to me. I am not comparing my own situation to you or anyone else, but I do believe that you can survive even if everything feels hopeless sometimes. I don't trust doctors because I have had some bad experiences with them and I do believe that many of them will diagnose patients with conditions and label them with mental health conditions that don't exist just to get more money out of them. I've seen this happen. Slap a label onto someone as an excuse to get them out of their hair, prescribe them drugs they don't need to charge them more money and send them on their way. They become dependent on the doctor and keep going back for the same "advice" and more useless drugs. It's an endless cycle that doesn't actually address or help the issue. I'm not saying this is your situation, but I have heard this scenario from a lot of people who have tried to seek help. I just learn to deal with my issues on my own and I do fine. I don't like taking their drugs because they often do more harm than good and as I said, they don't actually do anything to help in many cases. Anyway, I hope you are well and able to find the help you need.

[@RakanAljuaid]

18:01 that’s not by coincidence nor is it surprising that the US has more Mentally ill individuals in jail/prison than they do in treatment facilities. It’s by design. Law enforcement have become so enthralled in raising the number of laborers…uhh I mean “inmates” to keep all the prisons (most notably the private prisons) stocked at capacity. Increasingly, as of late, we observe People suffering with mental health conditions, especially those deemed SMI are unjustly targeted by LE, seemingly due to them perceiving SMI individuals as easy prey, prey that are easier to acquiesce and manipulate during an interrogation. Absolutely horrendous behavior by LE but that’s what LE does unfortunately😤🙃🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️

[@andylintott9339]

Post COVID, the safety net of the UK was strained almost to breaking point, and it wasn't in a great place to start with. Mental health is a global issue that we are only now realising has very real consequences from mishandling/mis-diagnosing. I've watched friends struggle with multiple diagnoses, failed appointment infrastructure, poor admin, overworked staff, and overzealous prescribing. I tip my hat to your poetic cobwebs, and desperately hope that systems everywhere improve significantly. Too often, the invisible problems are overlooked: nobody looks for spiders if they can't see cobwebs

[@Spencer-F0x]

If the government won’t be there to catch us from the tightrope, know that those who have made the decision to stay and fight for ourselves and each other are beneath the line with open arms. Thousands of souls who has crossed the chasm alone now stand below on our own terms to make sure no one else falls as we nearly did. You’re not alone, friend

[@thecjsmediafamily6529]

It may sound cliche but it is ok to not be ok. I got help and it’s been a blessing. You can too. There is no shame. There are people who do care. ❤

[@karencarrascosalinas8536]

These episodes have been helping me on my morning commute to work, but between the pig head episode and the people rating app I’m convinced black mirror just ripped off last week tonight

[@Wildfire201X_LIVE]

27:15 what!! I saw this website a couple of years ago and I had no idea the team of Last Week Tonight were the people behind that!! Oh that’s so cool and fun

[@Drjos]

This episode was from before that black mirror episode about people rating each other, right?

[@bobbyharden3486]

But after the Community episode with rating people

[@csurname]

@@bobbyharden3486 and the Recess episode

[@azzemojo]

Business Daddy is being real good to us.

[@carlairving]

Mental Health, Russia & the UN is an freaking amazing title.

[@stephaniehendricks3537]

And now mental health is a top issue that people now want to talk about. Good job john oliver and his staff, and i appreciate this segment more now.

[@SoOthersMayLiveandStuff]

Great show on mental health. TY John!

[@benjaminscott8198]

Gods, I shouldn't watch John Oliver when my pain levels are elevated. Every laugh is another level of excruciating pain. But damn I can't stop binging these old episodes, which oddly enough are still accurate and relevant over 10yrs later.

[@williamjustus2677]

I was working on an ACT team, and it is a wonderful idea that works very well. The problem is that most agencies do not properly staff or fund them. Medicaid does make it difficult because of the hoops that the billing staff has to jump through to get payment. It is so complicated that it becomes untenable. Ours was not properly staffed, to deal with the number of clients that we served in the community. It is one of the only real effective healthy way to meet the needs of clients.

[@andreaparker1595]

I've been binge watching all of these old episodes as quickly as I can get them and I love them! John just tickles me to death

[@Onslowfilms]

“On Fleek” in 2024 is crazy

[@dk240996]

So Peeple was literally just MeowMeowBeanz from Community.

[@iamscythed]

Awww my MeowMeowBeanz :(

[@graciespaceycakes3714]

Yeah but they're new beanz

[@visatuovinen5915]

Thank you so much for the realesnake agent joke. God bless this bird man!

[@michelleaneous]

9:31 The points about #MentalHealth-Louder!! 🗣️

[@Jcewazhere]

Jason E. Chaffetz is an American retired politician who served as the U.S. representative for Utah's 3rd congressional district from 2009 until his resignation in 2017. He chaired the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform from 2015 until 2017

[@nanyubusnis9397]

I feel so bad for that taxi driver. He's just sitting there, trying to be a good driver, doesn't want to be mean to potential future clients. Then they pitch this awful idea to him, and his reaction is basically: "Dear God."

[@alexasinclair8603]

We “used to” lock up people in mental health institutions has me laughing

[@JustAGun_]

I forgot craycray was ever a thing, also I don't know how to type it lol

[@RakanAljuaid]

18:01 that’s not by coincidence nor is it surprising that the US has more Mentally ill individuals in jail/prison than they do in treatment facilities. It’s by design. Law enforcement have become so enthralled in raising the number of laborers…uhh I mean “inmates” to keep all the prisons (most notably the private prisons) stocked at capacity. Increasingly, as of late, we observe People suffering with mental health conditions, especially those deemed SMI are unjustly targeted by LE, seemingly due to them perceiving SMI individuals as easy prey, prey that are easier to acquiesce and manipulate during an interrogation. Absolutely horrendous behavior by LE but that’s what LE does unfortunately😤🙃🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️

[@LoyalFriend62]

15:22 Although the company Chobani chooses to use 'Greek Yogurt' on their containers, the founder of the company is Kurdish, and yogurt was (arguably) introduced into the region by unnamed Turkish women (from Central Asia). No credit or blame should go to Greece.

[@Snailsgale]

Currently screaming into the void. I’ll be a while.

[@CatThatLostHisHat]

Wait, are we not supposed to be flipping Darren's mom like a spatula? I thought we were doing that.

[@samanthahamilton9117]

I discovered these full eps a few weeks ago, and rarely go a day without my fix. I love so much about this show: their research (usually … I’ve caught them off base a couple of times); their commitment to taking their voice into the real world; and that jingle! Edgy, jangly, anxious … SO John Oliver! (Also ❤ JO drumming us in.) But I have a question for quicker-eyed viewers: does the last image in the opening montage relate to one of the stories covered? I can’t always process it fast enough to make the connection.

[@andresmolarespalmero100]

15:50 Hall of Fame of Puns 🤣🙌🏼

[@paulcordwell610]

I wonder if the last week tonight team have looked back on the reports on NetanYahoooo and Israel etc I think there are signs here and also you have documented history and the repetitiveness of it

[@jackster9775]

16:43 you could’ve landed a huge joke about the Judge Rotenberg center here.

[@darrylchafe]

Just in case anyone is wondering, that site is still up!

[@Antnee659]

Are they going to put every season on yt? I rewatched most of s1. Are they leaving them up??

[@aljen181]

Yes, and yes.

[@seandanielsshow1980]

i literally watched it like 20 times

[@FallenOne669]

Every week that the show is off, they will upload one full season of Last Week Tonight.

[@elaineb7065]

2 star looks, 5 star showmanship, 4 star puns. There, I rated John Oliver (with a little help)

[@heatherdowhaluk2128]

I used to work at program like this. The gov cut back😢

[@The987654321andy]

this is hitting hard in 2024

[@rhymeswithsomethingy4766]

And Now.. at 6:21, someone knew what they were doing, and said ".. exclusive MORNING interview. It IS TRUE that while they were doing their interview, nobody else was interviewing Rand Pall (SIC)..😏

[@whiskylover1973]

The People app made me think of an episode of Black Mirror lol

[@forgiveman]

Dark Brandon can also pull off Aviator glasses.

[@YellinInMyEar]

The only thing crazy about mental health in America, land of the free and plenty, is the lack of consistent and comprehensive treatment. What IS consistent is it being used as a scapegoat .

[@3191bob]

First I saw the donkey then I saw a seal, I have no idea which side of my brain is in control. I hope this isn’t one of those psychopath tests.

[@wendy8246]

Mmk I'm laughing all the way to the can!

[@rojak225]

watching these is like getting a snapshot of the TIMES

[@BittaSweetJP]

Thanking some where between torture and canada episodes

[@ryandronsfield6177]

Awww but I love Quiznos

[@v0lny886]

7:50 Damaged slide

[@user-df3jq5tr8c]

Yelp for people just another way to keep everyone fighting against each other so the rich can keep going to the bank

[@CrAck-MoNey]

A fitted bedsheet is easy to fold. 😁

[@phoenixnoire2435]

As someone who has been in both jails and in "mental hospitals" (concentration camps for political and social dissidents), I speak from authority when I say jails are infinitely more humane. Sure, both suck, but given the choice, I'd rather go to jail.

[@jonm259]

So, I check Max but no new LWT but Dune 2 is there already... but i knew season 2 was dropping so im watching most of these for the 3rd time.

[@whawhawhawhaaaa]

Im surprised John didnt mention the community episode literally about a social media app that lets you rate people, given that he was on community.

[@wendy8246]

Oh and I heal really fast so that's cool

[@nebulan]

Geez how long has netanyahu been in power?

[@wendy8246]

Y???? 24 hrs to make your board vote count

[@wendy8246]

Ooh it's hard ware?

[@elijahfilmsthings]

yes

[@Satsujinki1973]

Did that people rating app story come out before or after the Black Mirror episode with Bryce Dallas Howard?

[@heymkbrownlee]

This is not how charts work 📈😂

[@RiseoftheLibertarian]

Why would we need to fund them, you just said they paid for themselves just 30 seconds ago. So, which is it? If they fund themselves then we shouldn't need to find any funds. Unless, they don't pay for themselves but you found one report out of a million that said they paid for themselves so you used it to prove they pay for themselves when in fact they don't.

[@RiseoftheLibertarian]

Thats the same sound I make, my soul leaving my body, every time I read a comment on one of your videos where the people believe it is factual information instead of just comedy that's entertainment only. Those are dangerous people who need mental health services.

[@Horatius333]

Yelp for People = MeowMeowBeanz

[@MultiBilly420]

He brings his kid with them because his kid is the one who is going to take over his throne and that will be him in that s you might as well start getting him the experience young because because that kid is the next dictator of belarus

[@The987654321andy]

sure JFK, we know what happened to your cousin Rosemary. don't pat yourself on your back about what you did with asylums

[@91YEHNAH]

He's been dead for how many years?🤣

[@elliot-sowdon]

Wasn’t she his sister?

[@Onigirli]

@@91YEHNAH Neverthefuckingless

[@BjaukForch]

I mean, it doesn't have a y-axis, and even the x-axis is meaningless without any form of descriptor 😁

[@tracynonumbers]

the app from Black Mirror Rickdiculous

[@VVeiQuek]

How is this not on the internet previously?

[@wendy8246]

Buy me! No 4 me then and den

[@wendy8246]

It's life goals firecracker lol it's stupid

[@Mesterick]

Watching this episode reminds me of and opinion I occasionally spout that a lot of people have a negative, knee jerk reaction to. The gun violence problem in the US is very much an issue of mental health. It is not, however, an issue of the mental health of the shooter. Instead it is a problem of the mental health of our legislators. We have people in office who are so used to power and the trappings of power that they can be, and likely are, victim of a form of brain damage caused by having or believing you have power over those around you. This can lead to reduced function in the centers of the brain associated with abilities like empathy. Even without that issue in play there are still a number of legislators and public officials who events a host of other mental health concerns ranging from homophobia to religious extremism. If society in the US had adequate mental health care, and if society in the US as a whole had a rational view of the world around them then we would have legislators and acting proper gun control laws. We would not have as many issues with violent or mass shootings in the country either, both as a result of those laws and of pairing for those people who engage in that behavior for reasons that actually are related to mental health care. This message was done through Google's speech to text function so if there are any issues with it please take it up with Google.

[@Onigirli]

Regarding your last paragraph, it seems fine but do they not let you preview/edit the text before posting or did you just go ahead immediately on your own?

[@Mesterick]

@@Onigirli Oh, I go ahead and just post without bothering to proofread. Trying to proofread KZbin posts on phones is a pain in the ass, and not just because it's almost impossible to put the cursor at the end of what I'm typing to continue your work. That last paragraph is more of a, "I'm using flawed tools and so I am placing the onus of flaws on the tools" disclaimer. I've already done everything I can with the software to make it adequate. Hell, after 5 years of using it the software still *constantly* has problems when I say "vaults," often confusing it with "volts," "bolts," and other words even though I say, and type, "vault" and "vaults" a couple orders of magnitude more often than those other words. Please understand, I'm not being hyperbolic there either. I'm the warehouse supervisor for a household goods moving company, and our long-term storage shipments go into containers called "vaults." At the same time we deal in nails almost exclusively with the occasional screw, and I rarely if ever have to talk about the voltage of electrical equipment. It's... Stupid. In any case, I just add that disclaimer to be a bit cheeky and to throw crap back at Google because of how asinine the software can be at times.

[@TheRealEvilkitten3]

i'm sure this is well-intentioned, but framing the people making our lives hell as "the REAL mentally ill ones" is frankly unhelpful at best and counterproductive at worst. bigotry is not mental illness, it's just bigotry. attempting to separate "good" traits from "bad" ones in this manner only stigmatizes mentally ill people further. homophobia is not a mental illness. religious extremism is a mental illness. ableism is not a mental illness. a power trip is not a mental illness. it's undeniably true that these things all tie into one another, because everything ties into everything, but the idea that the mentally ill are the cause of the oppressive laws and systems that so often bring us harm is not only completely untrue but in and of itself deeply ableist. i hope you reconsider your stance on this. (also, just because this happens to be an issue that affects me personally - the conflation of empathy with morality is one of the many, many harmful tropes seen very frequently in ableist rhetoric. empathy is not a requirement to be a good person, and lack of empathy is not a trait guaranteed in every shitty person.)

[@JinxTheLooneyToon915]

0:41

[@warrenharding103]

*_Hey America! You can't be "Great Again" unless you've been Great at least ONCE!_*

[@deimosvoralius2988]

Will forward to right-wing nutjobs for you. Got a country of origin you want the subsequent sanctions to aim at?

[@reprovedcandy]

I'm so glad peeple failed. I would've had HORRIBLE ratings. lol

[@micheleploeser7720]

Wasn’t being a peeping Tom against the law

[@wendy8246]

Yeah! Exactly buy Putin 🤔 that totes works huh? Y?

[@ErutaniaRose]

24:50 This would literally just make things so much worse for autistic people and all disabled people in general. Edit: And obviously even worse for POC autistics and also queer autistics. It’s just gonna spread racism, ableism, queer phobia, and all kinds of bigotry.

[@wendy8246]

I'm serious it's not ok to repo men mmk the "devil" may care and I've seconded that

[@alexandrnoskov5437]

The sale of antidepressants and drugs without prescriptions from a doctor is to blame for everything. Americans do not want to live sober and in a sober world.

[@meganjones3427]

Bold of you to call this a "sober world"

[@asamlos]

You are aware that they aren't actually "happy pills" so much as they are "i am not actively becoming a slug pills", right? Most antidepressants are SSRIs, which literally just keep more serotonin in your system to make up for your body not producing enough. In fact, if your body is already producing enough serotonin, SSRIs will actually make you *less* happy because you'll get serotonin syndrome and become increasingly sick. It doesn't have happiness as a side effect, nor will just taking those pills make you happy. It's not like alcohol or nicotine, it's like insulin.

[@asamlos]

I feel like you don't understand SSRIs... They aren't like alcohol, and taking them if you aren't depressed will actually just straight up make you sick - not just mentally (though not even in a fun way, it'll just make you agitated and confused), like physically ill. It won't make someone happier/less sober any more than giving a healthy person insulin will make them healthier.

[@dinahmyte3749]

...My prozac doesn't do anything but make me less likely to spiral out of control... I also take CBD for chronic pain...

[@alexandrnoskov5437]

@@dinahmyte3749 In all civilized countries, Prozac is prohibited as a narcotic drug.

[@GuitarSlayer136]

mean

[@azraelsparadox1119]

Oh fuck you for letting conservative political infomercials interrupt this video, not cool

[@Onigirli]

What did it entail?

[@sagus9396]

just a correction: Russia's economy goes up in last 2 years, there are statistics for that.. (last time I checked it was 3,5% increase in GDP), and the only bad news from Ukraine are that in a war that was already lost (by Ukraine), one increasingly authoritarian TV comedian still dreams about victory (how? shhh, not important, as long as money and blood are flowing), is ready to sacrifice every last Ukrainian to achieve it, and if needed, drag the whole world into a mess his own administration and illegal coup, had caused. I mean, it is tough when your opponet is a maniac ready to smash his head against the wall any time and refuses to talk. Other than that, Ukraine is pretty much destroyed, totaly dependant economicaly and militarily from the US, half of their land gone, half milion people dead, army decimated. Russians are distracting themselves with family trips to red square, where all sorts of captured and labeled NATO equipment are presented for show... or admiring the only real cathedral anyone built anywwhere in last century at least :) . And what a cathedral it is, pretty good for sad poor country of terrible soldiers run by Hitler without moustache :)) It is all pretty sad really, and jokes are not funny if they are based and spinned of absolutely false assumptions. Even less if those false assumptions and american storytelling destroys a whole country as we speak... did I say country? I mean, whole bunch of them..

[@E2O10]

What does this have to do with 2015?

[@Onigirli]

Hate watching is a mental illness. Please restrain yourself if you can... that's all moon man talk you just typed out

[@htimsxam]

First

[@AbiyBattleSpell]

spam 😾

[@Onigirli]

sneed

[@AbiyBattleSpell]

@@Onigirli Que 🐱