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CNN INTERVIEW WITH ANDERSON COOPER
Here is the transcript
of Andy Behrman's interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, which aired December 7,
2005:
ANDERSON COOPER: So, we have already heard
that the man killed by air marshals today in Miami's airport, the man who claimed
he had a bomb, also suffered from bipolar disorder and had stopped taking his
medication. Two million Americans suffer from the disease, but, as long as they
take that medication, most can lead healthy, productive lives. We thought taking
a few minutes to learn more about the strange illness might actually give us some
insight into what happened at the airport today. Earlier, I spoke with Andy Behrman,
author of the book "Electroboy" about his experiences with bipolar disorder, and
medical commentator Dr. Drew Pinsky.
COOPER: Dr. Pinsky, what exactly is bipolar
disorder?
DR. DREW PINSKY, AUTHOR, "CRACKED": Bipolar
disorder is a mood disorder characterized by -- characterized by wide fluctuations
in moods. There's two types of bipolar disorder, type one, where people have frank
manic states, and type two, where they have lower levels of mania called hypomania,
where they're still kind of connected to reality, but they're very active; they
don't need to sleep very much. They're hypersexual, hyperverbal, may -- may do
lots of -- spends lots of money, this sort of thing. And that can escalate, again,
into acute mania in type one, where they really become disconnected from reality.
They become irritable. They can be doing irrational things, speaking in tongues.
And it sounds like that is what was going on down in Miami.
COOPER: And, Andy, you started experiencing
bipolar disorder really as a kid. You weren't diagnosed until much later. When
you were taking medication, before you were diagnosed, what did it feel like?
What did that mania feel like?
ANDY BEHRMAN, AUTHOR, "ELECTROBOY": Well, it
felt like a proverbial roller-coaster ride. I mean, one minute I was on a plane
from New York to Tokyo to Paris. I took tremendous risks. As Dr. Drew said, I
was -- I was just out of control. I was...
COOPER: You mean, you would just hop on a plane
just for the heck of it?
BEHRMAN: Well, it was the first flight from
JFK, so, yes, I would hop on a plane and go to Tokyo. I mean, none of the things
I did, in retrospect, were logical.
PINSKY: Right. COOPER: But, at the time, in
your mind, they -- they -- they seemed -- I mean, what -- was there a logic to
them? Did it make sense to you at the time?
BEHRMAN: Sure. I could piece it together and
it made sense. But all of the decisions I made were highly irrational and risky
and caused me lots of trouble. I mean, I ended up in prison.
(CROSSTALK) COOPER: You wrote about
this in -- in "Electroboy," which is a really great book. The writing
is very sharp. And you really vividly described...
BEHRMAN: Thank you.
COOPER: ... the mania. I mean, what are the
kinds of things you would hallucinate about?
BEHRMAN: I mean, my hallucinations were visual
hallucinations, not audio hallucinations. And you have to understand, in -- in
Latin, the word hallucinations means wanderings. I would imagine other people
in the room who were not there. I would imagine, for example, a button on my shirt,
a small button, becoming very, very large and chasing me down the street. Often,
I would look at people and their flesh would be melting off their face.
(CROSSTALK) COOPER: And -- and did that all
stop with medication?
BEHRMAN: Absolutely. Absolutely. Also -- and
I write about it in "Electroboy" -- I underwent 19 rounds of electroshock therapy.
But, ultimately, it was medication that stabilized my bipolar disorder.
PINSKY: And, Anderson, one of the treacherous
things about bipolar disorder, in some cases, people are reluctant to take the
medication. They sort of like the highs of mania and hypomania. So, that's one
the more difficult features of treating this condition, is getting people to comply
with their medicine.
COOPER: Also, it seems like, a lot of times,
people around the -- the -- the person, you know, they kind of like them up when
they're ebullient and up and...
PINSKY: Yes.
COOPER: And they're kind of fun to be around.
BEHRMAN: Oh, absolutely.
PINSKY: There's a lot of -- yes.
BEHRMAN: Absolutely. And I have to say that
my bipolar disorder was encouraged by people that I worked with, with my friends,
because everybody loved the Andy Behrman who worked 22 hours a day...
PINSKY: Right.
BEHRMAN: ... and could party the other two
hours and never slept. People love bipolar people because they're fun and they're
very productive and efficient.
COOPER: But there's very much -- I mean, Dr.
Pinsky, you have seen, there is very much the -- the -- the downside. The -- the
dark side is very dark indeed.
PINSKY: Oh, it's -- it's horrible. I mean,
obviously, the depressions are severe. Twenty percent of people with untreated
bipolar will kill themselves, either in an agitated state or in a depressed state.
They're miserable. They're disabled. When it gets completely out of control, it
is -- it is a disaster. And be aware, too, that roughly 60 percent of bipolar
patients use drugs and alcohol. And that influences this disease rather terribly.
COOPER: There -- I mean, there is hope for
people who are out there and listening to this. And -- and, I mean, you live a
-- I guess what everyone would term a normal life now. You -- you no longer have
these hallucinations. There is hope out there.
BEHRMAN: Absolutely.
PINSKY: Oh, yes.
BEHRMAN: And sticking to a medication regimen
is the most important thing for somebody who's bipolar. I mean, yes, I live a
very stable life. I have for several years. I'm married. I have a child. And it
is all possible because of medication.
COOPER: Dr. Pinsky, thanks very much, And --
and, Andy Behrman. The book is "Electroboy." It's -- it's a great read. Thank
you so much.
BEHRMAN: Thank you so much for having me. |
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