What It Feels Like to Be Crazy | Lynn Rivers | TEDxUofM

Writing papers in poetic verse, seeing the landscape saturate with color, and lying in bed for days at a time are some of the experiences that former U.S. Representative Lynn Rivers has had as a result of her mental illness. What is it like to step into the shoes of someone with manic-depressive disorder? Lynn describes how her disease has affected her life and how all of us can learn to accept our own brokenness.
Lynn Rivers teaches courses on political science at the University of Michigan and Washtenaw Community College. She spent 8 years as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003. Lynn was the first member of the House to publicly discuss her struggle with bipolar disorder, and she has been a leader in public policy on mental illness throughout her career.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx

[@MaximFoster]

Never heard of this woman, but now I love her. Great speech, really well spoken and inspiring. Let's all take her advice.

[@Hummingbird25]

She expresses herself gracefully

[@suzeldiego-guerra5180]

I go to U of M now, but she taught me PoliSci at Washtenaw Community College, I remember having her around the time the government shut down! She was really cool to talk to!

[@alexanders9904]

Suzel Diego-Guerra same. She was great in class. A real treat

[@FuzzyTrekkie]

Is it weird that I've never considered being depressed as being "crazy"? I mean what she described is what I've had to deal with since I was in high school. I don't see myself as crazy.

[@j.saraydashapiro2510]

Mania (or, as it is now called, "manic episodes") is one of two diagnoses that often qualify someone for the insanity defense. (The other is schizophrenia.) Depression rarely results in a verdict of "not guilty by reason of insanity," except in rare cases where the depression is so severe that the person is really not aware of reality. So, depression really doesn't count as "crazy." It's the "mania" part of bipolar that counts as crazy.

[@blxckcat6484]

Same i dont find depression crazy

[@damienpeters6758]

See I'm bipolar and I consider myself crazy because I don't act like a person who don't act like a person that doesn't act like a person with out mental illness

[@lrowe6494]

Right

[@microrest]

She is wrong, that is not crazy. Having emotional issues is not the same as being schizophrenic or SMI. That is what crazy is. A crazy person is someone who is not in touch with reality. Not being able to control your feelings very well is not the same as being crazy.

[@ちゃんりゅこ]

Going insane/being insane can/does feel horrible... Well, depends on how and why you are going crazy.

[@Seapatico]

How fantastic is this? What a delight.

[@accursedamygdala8241]

This is everything I feel described perfectly from another person. I never thought I'd hear it. I've dealt with depression since I was 11, and haven't been able to find a doctor that is able to understand or help me yet due to living in a rural area. I did the rotating table of pills for many years, but I never got relief from them. I hope someone can give me the intelligence and passion required to help. Around here though, being a doctor is a paying job like any other, where the main goal is to slowly take my money over many years without any real progress.

[@abdur-rahmansyed2407]

This is so valuable. And yes, brave. Thank you.

[@Yangkoy]

Few may need to hear this stuff, i did..

[@keishalayne8844]

Wow, this is encouraging because I suffer from depression.

[@keishalayne8844]

Depression doesn't stop you from learning, which is amazing.

[@БлохаНагибовна]

@@keishalayne8844 until one day…

[@juzchillz]

thanks for sharing your story.

[@autumnjewel3527]

This is very validating.

[@Qwertzym0onsif]

i like how the way she is Talking , like ASMR Videos .

[@skinizzi]

I feel like she's speaking through me....

[@iam_tenko1213]

I hope you are not possessed

[@hamzaabdo261]

ooo me 2 ... it was wierd

[@wiggleworm5423]

I'll tell you my crazy. The way I used to be. Depression like you're dead. You wish you didn't live inside your head. Spiral of repeating thoughts. Being overcome by fears from all your crazy thoughts. Emotional breakdowns because you're so overwhelmed. Having to get up every day and you could hardly do your school or chores. You're brain cannot focus. It's a muddy pool. But thankfully I really do think god helped me get out of it. I've also been eating better which has seemed to help. People don't believe me when I say I literally had a demon talking out of my mouth. Like I'm crazy and I didn't know what was going on. But trust me, crazy people still know what they're doing. They're just confused. They still know what's going on in reality for the most part.

[@ferdaniyeozun8133]

Strong women

[@choppaking2649]

Bro being smart is so hard i get depressed very easily

[@call-me-special]

I learned how to be happy with my intelligence from “happy geniuses” haha. Like Mozart or Da Vinci. Just realised it’s possible

[@mypaintedlife]

Everything she said made sense ive never in my life ever have someone be emright everytime about how ny brain works

[@unityworldwidecommunity]

Great talk

[@angelyncortes8808]

I came here because I think I'm gonna go crazy

[@jessemclean3080]

God Damn. A lot of people in this crowd have a cough.

[@Karla-kj3sb]

It was getting on my nerves 😬

[@pamelaclark2485]

I dont want anyone to have to take pills everyday sometimes multiple times a day i think there is something natural in nature for everyproblem and if you cant fix it with mother nature it might not exactly need fixing but a perspective difference

[@ownthevoid]

Like cancer? You’re wrong.

[@sketchpad7116]

While it is true many things can be fixed through nature, not everything. Natural is natural, it's imperfect, what we can do with machines is amazing! We can help people better than what mother nature can offer.

[@kimbratton9620]

Wow you explain it so well!!😊

[@PeterB-wr4gm]

Never make people crazy, because crazy people can do crazy things..

[@jimjames5300]

Question.... How does one feel nothing?

[@solarmoon_4]

your whole body feels numb, you arent happy or sad, you arent tired or rested, just burnt out

[@wadiahal-filfil1598]

Wow great story thanks for sharing

[@767dag]

wow , bless your heart ♥️!

[@ricardotellez1050]

Amazing

[@austinhodnett4440]

I am crazy ALSO FEEEED MEEEEEEEEE OOGA OOGA CHACKA CHAKCA PACKA OEOEOEOEHRJEIRHEIUE HWAWAWAWWNYANYANYA

[@sournois90]

food

[@muham2654]

Sometimes i feel like im too conscious. Idk man

[@joannenascimento9213]

How do u get to the 'sweet spot'?

[@joannenascimento9213]

I cant even sleep

[@wifimonkey]

I just wanna know what made her crazy... however I don't feel like researching it... meh

[@cookiesareincenteroftheuni6971]

Is it something you can eat?

[@dablenkz2233]

I just like my ..like I was died..to colorful...like I was only with my self ...like another word in a picture

[@ProdipHalder-prem]

🙏

[@UNKNOWN-le2tu]

you are not crazy. do never accept the reality you are self proclaimed crazy. someone tells me manic depressive i think they try too hard to be mrntally not healthy. doesnt mean they arent mentally not healthy. its just when you want to be psychotic sounds a little psychotic. pardon the pun. i actually suffer from psychosis and pwoplw around me drive me nuts agreeing all the damn time.

[@akiraaa100]

Woman: "Nice people can't be crazy" Me: hold my beer 😎 Tbh in my opinion ur personality doesn't rly matter like u can become crazy or not if the person choose the difficult way and kept hiding pain which was caused by some reasons in life and trying to help ppl like a therapy when they need 1 would just make them lose their sanity slowly no matter how determined they r cuz of the 2 much stress on the human's brain and 2 much pain on the human's heart it would cause it to be destroyed mentally and would start affecting from the personality then starts showing within their acts which feels like they r a whole complete diff person Edit: My spelling ;-;

[@africanprincess5302]

I definitely agree anybody can be driven crazy but I think it's specifically with nice people because of how accommodating and forgiving they are you just get tired of dealing with everybody's disrespect and being treated like a punching bag

[@akiraaa100]

@@africanprincess5302 Idk what this comment was abt specificly but true. That's why it's becoming rare to find nice people -

[@NO-yx6yl]

This is terrible, mainly because she doesn't understand crazy she understands mental illness and is using the term inappropriately to get attention to what she talks about. Kind of disgusts me when people do that. When people say crazy. They don't mean what she says. They mean some kind of severe psychosis.

[@polutanka]

The term "crazy" annoyed me a little as well

[@dankzani7422]

True I think I might be going insane but due to the mental illness categorization I don't know

[@eloycruz1002]

You could not have explained it better. Exactly what I was thinking

[@sagebay2803]

Good. She should try YOGA!

[@MasterP48HD]

this is really brave, not what sjw try to say is brave

[@wealthondtrack7299]

That person coughing needs to leave 😂

[@wadeparker8695]

This talk is unnecessary today! we all know what it’s like! The whole world is crazy!)

[@jameswhite6263]

Hk

[@joannenascimento9213]

She's crazy? Really?

[@22snus]

I thumbs up 2 seconds in