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Dead Blue: A Film About Surviving Depression
By Eames Yates. 1997, 56 minutes, $49.95.
Reviewed by Laveena Khanchandani, B.A., MPA, Loyola College, Baltimore, MD
Introduction
In America today, 18 million people suffer from depression, a disorder marked by feelings of sadness, despair, hopelessness and thoughts of suicide. In “Dead Blue”, three prominent survivors of clinical depression, “60 Minutes” correspondent Mike Wallace, psychologist Martha Manning and Pulitzer Prize winning author William Styron join with their families, friends, and acquaintances to openly discuss their struggle, and recount their journey through depression.
The documentary provides personal accounts of depression by these survivors. For those who suffer from depression, the movie helps to put their feelings into words. For family and friends of those who are depressed, it gives insight into the psychic pain the sufferer experiences. It also describes the stigma attached to depression and how it is often hidden by sufferers as a dark secret. As a result, the illness often goes unrecognized and remains almost always misunderstood.
Mike Wallace & Depression
“Dead Blue” begins with Mike Wallace, discussing his experience with depression. He describes the illness “as a dark cloud that descended upon me.” He refers to depression as a byproduct of his professional life when his credibility challenged in front of the media and the world. Depression affected his self-esteem, self-concept, and made him criticize his own sense of self. He felt defeated during his depressive episodes, and describes it as a very emotional period.
His wife also describes her experience during her husband’s depressive episodes and her desperation and frustration to help him. She describes how her husband became a stranger during his episodes. She felt as if she went through a grieving process of losing him. The couple highlights the issue of a lack of understanding of depression among the general population. Wallace concludes that being in psychotherapy, and taking medication regularly helped him overcome this illness.
Martha Manning & Depression
The movie continues with an interview of Martha Manning, an author and a Clinical Psychologist who becomes affected by depression. She describes the stigma that surrounds depression as a mental illness and how it is viewed by and affects family and friends. She also describes her state when her medication stopped working and feelings of suicide overcame her. She felt a constant struggle between the love for her family and wanting to commit suicide.
Her husband describes his feelings during his wife’s depressive episodes, “I felt as if I was running into a glass wall and the depressive person is on the opposite side and is unreachable.” Her daughter describes her feelings of frustration and helplessness that she experienced. Manning describes she felt “no escape from prison within the self,” and “an underlying heaviness and darkness.” Depression made her feel a sense of failure as a mother and damaged her marriage.
Manning also explains progressing from medicine to electro convulsive therapy (ECT). She describes ECT as a step that she had to take when no other options were available. The family describes feelings of shame and stigma associated with hospitalization and how it delivers negative messages about people with mental illnesses, and difficulty of moving past the stigma and towards acceptance. As a psychologist, she admits that psychotherapy is helpful but does not completely take away the pain, but with medication it helps dissolve the symptoms.
William Styron & Depression
In third portion of the movie, William Styron, a professional writer, provides his experience with depression in a very spiritual and philosophical manner. He describes his episodes as “temporary death of a soul.” He explains how the entire body and state of a person is in state of a “ship wreck”. He often wished to revert back to a term “melancholia”. According to him, the term “depression” has no resonance and is not descriptive enough for the illness.
Styron describes his symptoms as a loss of interest in activities he enjoyed daily, sensed a dark shadow taking over, state of nervous exhaustion, mood spiraled downwards, and plunging melancholia that involves suicidal thoughts and impulses. He describes that as depression deepens and pain increases, it becomes a curious bifurcation of self, feels as if a part of self is sick and distressed and is filled with pain that death is looked upon as a cure.
Styron expresses how the parallel self observes with detachment to the other self that wished him to commit suicide. He experienced feelings of envy towards individuals who experienced happiness and life to the fullest. His wife describes feelings of resentment and horror towards her husband’s episodes. She felt inadequate in the relationship due to not being able to take his pain away. His daughter reflects upon her frustration about the disappearance of her relationship with her father. Depression affects whole family with much discomfort and pain.
Styron also addresses the societal views on mental illness being immoral and evil. Upon receiving proper treatment, he reports feeling well and alive again. He described having suffered depression as a revelation about how fragile a human mind can be. He explained how the experience enlarged his vision of human possibility and awareness of death and suffering that humans can endure.
Is “Dead Blue” effective in bibliotherapy?
“Dead Blue” is appropriate for adults who suffer from depression and their loved ones who care for and are impacted by them. It can be effectively utilized in psychotherapy through bibilotherapy. Psychologists may want to prescribe this movie to people who have been diagnosed with depression or their family members who have learned that their loved ones have been diagnosed with this illness.
This movie may help people realize that there are many who suffer from depression and give them hope for a positive recovery. The movie attempts to discuss in detail how families of depressed individuals are deeply affected and raises awareness of the illness. The movie helps the audience identify signs of caregiver stress and emotional reactions that may be experienced. The depressed individuals may take comfort in watching that the emotions and experiences depression causes are universal.
Since it is often difficult for families to understand the symptoms of depression their loves ones feel, this movie may prove to be beneficial with survivors’ detailed accounts. This movie may help the audience feel support and understanding through the stories and accounts of others who have been through similar experiences. The movie also addresses issues of social stigma. Overall, it provides positive light on survivors’ successful recovery from this widespread disorder.
Strengths of “Dead Blue”
“Dead Blue” has several strengths that make it an ideal choice for bibliotherapy:
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The movie flows succinctly through three honest personal accounts to illustrate points and with an absence of medical terminology and professional jargon.
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The personal accounts also help give audience an idea of surviving clinical depression. They may also mirror the thoughts and emotions the depressed audience may currently be experiencing, helping them feel that what they are not the only ones who feel such agony and there are others who have felt they way they do and overcome this illness by therapy, medications, and other treatment methods.
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Successful individuals who are afflicted with depression speak openly about their struggle against the mental disorder.
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It also discusses the advantages of going thru group therapy and how it helped them relate to one another.
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The survivors of this illness also depict feelings of hopefulness.
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This film is of great significance for the depressed and an informational tool for those interested in learning more about depression.
Psychologists may wish to prescribe this movie to clients who suffer from depression and their loves ones who are impacted by the illness.
Limitations of “Dead Blue”
This movie also has some limitations in its’ effectiveness for purpose of bibliotherapy:
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This movie is not intended for use with children because it is very descriptive and contains a number of potentially upsetting ideas and discussions that would be inappropriate for children.
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Survivors mention the idea of “giving up and losing control” even after treatment, which questions the effectiveness of therapy, medication, and treatment of depression.
Conclusion
“Dead Blue”, may be beneficial to clients who are dealing with the diagnosis of depression. It’s easy to understand language makes it an appropriate choice for diverse individuals. The format makes it accessible, if individuals choose to watch only specific interviews. The movie gives some research statistics while providing a personal touch by each individual personal account. It gives the audience an accurate account of possible problems that may arise during an individual’s life while suffering from depression and those who care for them.
It is a practical and realistic sequence addresses many issues regarding the pain and suffering of depressed individuals as well as their families. The survivors attempt to clarify how depressed individuals understand that their life has a value, and they reveal how the love for themselves elevates the desire to relieve themselves of pain by committing suicide. It is well worth viewing by adults who comes in contact with clinical depression.