This brings me to another topic – celebrity profiles of mental illness.   Just recently TMZ reported that Growing Pains star Andrew Koenig’s family opened up about his depression.   According to statistics from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, approximately 5% of the population suffers from a mental illness, and celebrities are not immune.  Recently we’ve heard about the battle Brook Shields fought against her post-partum depression, and just last week the famous designer Alexander McQueen hanged himself after succombing to suicidal thoughts.  Several celebrities have been open about their diagnosis of bipolar disorder, including Axl Rose and Mel Gibson.  There’s a great slide show on organizedwisdom.com that presents several celebrities suffering from mental illness. 

Does this media-driven portrayal of mental illness paint a clear picture?  Maybe.  The fact that celebrities are not ashamed or afraid of opening up about their disease makes it easier for the lay public to be open about it as well.  And publicity leads to better access to treatment for the public and open mindedness helps foster better attitudes about the disease for those who suffer from it.  Does the movie industry do a good job of accurately describing the reality of mental illness?  Sometimes.  But at least it fosters discussion, and a lot of discussion can come from Shutter Island!

USA Today reported today that a 42 year old Taiwanese man died after watching the movie Avatar.  He apparently had a history of high blood pressure and felt “ill” while watching the movie.  He went to the hospital, where imaging of his brain showed a hemorrhagic stroke.  The doctor who took care of him diagnosed his condition as being a consequence of watching the movie.

Yes, high blood pressure predisposes one to complications of hypertension such as hemorrhagic stroke; however, it seems hard to conclude that “excitement” caused by watching this movie would have raised one’s blood pressure above that threshold needed to cause intracranial hemorrhage.  I saw the movie – it’s great and exciting and probably raises one’s blood pressure above a resting rate.  But could it raise this patient’s blood pressure more than walking from the car to the movie theater?  Or higher than when he walked up the steps to find a seat the perfect distance from the movie screen?  Maybe the exertion and excitement, combined with all the salt from the popcorn and soda he consumed while watching it was enough to raise his blood pressure and cause the hemorrhage.  Maybe the doctor should also diagnose the concession food items as contributing factors.

So who’s going to get sued?  That’s the quetion on everyone’s minds. Maybe the movie  – or the theatre – or Orville Redenbacher – or CocaCola.  How about realizing that poorly controlled high blood pressure has long term consequences?