Viewers suffering from bipolar disorder have praised Channel 4’s hit show Big Mood for its portrayal of mental illness – but say it glosses over the challenges of seeking psychiatric care.
The series stars Derry Girls star Nichola Coughlan as Maggie, a young woman struggling with bipolar disorder, while Lydia West (It’s a Sin) plays her best friend Eddie.
Described as “a vivid and rebellious portrait of female friendship when infiltrated by the complexities of serious mental illness,” the series finds the two characters at a crossroads in their friendship as they quickly approach thirties.
The show aired on Thursday – and social media users have since taken to X to share their thoughts on the portrayal of mental health.
“I love him so much,” wrote Dr. Josephine Taylor – who often shares content about her bipolar experiences on social media. “Crying and laughing simultaneously. A joy to see a true nuanced and sensitive portrayal of the ups and downs of bipolar.
The series stars Derry Girls star Nichola Coughlan as Maggie, a young woman struggling with bipolar disorder, while Lydia West (It’s a Sin) plays her best friend Eddie.
They also added that it “really captures what can be the pure nonsense of mania.”
“I have some high mood issues (okay, I’m borderline and not bipolar, but I still think most of us are more annoying issues than the media portrays us to be) BUT it nails depression !!’” another added.
“Thanks to Nicola Coughlan and Lydia West who I really enjoyed!! »
However, commentators also found that the treatment Maggie receives in the series was not indicative of real challenges with the British healthcare system.
A poster said the show gave “heartwarming but completely unrealistic depictions of how most people with bipolar disorder receive treatment, i.e. waiting weeks for an appointment with a GP , wait months to see a psychiatrist, get discharged, return to the general practitioner, etc.”
“I didn’t feel mocked by the portrayal of bipolar in Big Mood last night, even though I feared I might become one,” added another. “What ridicules me is the representation of psychiatry.
“I guess it was a demonstration of private health care. If only they showed the difficulties of those accessing the NHS.
Bipolar disorder, formerly known as manic depression, can cause extreme mood swings.
The show aired on Thursday – and social media users took to X to share their thoughts on the portrayal of mental health.
The series stars Derry Girls star Nichola Coughlan as Maggie, a young woman struggling with bipolar disorder, while Lydia West (It’s a Sin) plays her best friend Eddie.
Camilla Whitehill conceived and wrote the new series, with Rebecca Asher – best known for her work on Dead To Me and Brooklyn Nine Nine – serving as director.
It takes an average of nine and a half years to be diagnosed with bipolar, characterized by periods of manic euphoria and depressed mood.
People with the condition are typically misdiagnosed three times before receiving the proper diagnosis because depressive symptoms are often confused with other mental health problems: 40% of them are wrongly told that they suffer from major depressive disorder (MDD), a study shows.
This can have devastating consequences because the treatments for bipolar disorder and MDD are different. Bipolar requires a mood stabilizer, rather than antidepressants, and if bipolar people are prescribed these, it may not work or trigger a manic episode.
It can be difficult for doctors to differentiate between the conditions because the symptoms of depression and low mood in bipolar are very similar, and bipolar patients tend to seek help when depressed. and not during a manic episode.
This gives them episodes of depression – feeling very depressed and lethargic – and mania, feeling very high and hyperactive.
A synopsis for the series describes the characters as two people who have “lived in each other’s pockets for ten years, through thick, thin, and multiple, difficult eyebrow trends.”
“But as the rest of their lives approach, their careers hang in the balance, and Maggie’s bipolar disorder makes an unwanted return to form, Eddie begins to wonder if this friendship is truly in their best interests.
“It’s a pivotal moment in both of their lives, one that brings to the surface these very important questions: Could sleeping with your old history teacher be the key to happiness? A Rat Hotel in the basement is it a functional alternative to pest control? How to stop your new psychiatrist from giving you stress dolls?
“With their twenties behind them, Maggie and Eddie’s relationship looks to the future – can it survive?
Camilla Whitehill conceived and wrote the new series, with Rebecca Asher – best known for her work on Dead To Me and Brooklyn Nine Nine – serving as director. It was produced by Fremantle-backed Dancing Ledge Productions.
“Getting my own comedy on Channel 4 always feels like one kind of long farce, Punk style,” Camilla admitted.
“But if that’s not the case, I’m beside myself doing this series with such an incredible team, a cast that I would be jealous of if it wasn’t my cast, and for a channel that has produced some of my favorite shows of all time.
Channel 4 editor Laura Riseam added: “Big Mood is an authentic portrait of the passionate, reckless and surreal stories of a close friendship threatened by an all-consuming mental illness.
“It’s outrageously bold, painfully funny and unreservedly poignant – the type of comedy that firmly belongs on Channel 4. We’re thrilled to welcome Camilla and Dancing Ledge to the fold.”
