Ella Cooper gives us her artistic take on mental health
8 ROAR! FASHION: SPECIAL FEATURE
I believed the voices.. I bones.. It was an addict
ANOREXIA ‘IF YOU CARRY ON YOU’LL DIE’ A brave 20-year-old university student, diagnosed with anorexia, shares her harrowing story
BY ANONYMOUS ONLY a third of anorexics fully recover. Fact. It has been a year since I was diagnosed with anorexia. I went through the typical stages: denial, aggression and acceptance. Admitting you have an eating disorder is the hardest thing to do. You become unrecognisable, having to re-evaluate yourself: the person you were, the person you once wished to be and that which you have become. Except, a life not governed by the thoughts that tell you you are despicably fat and need to lose weight seems unfathomable. This had become my defining characteristic. Losing all interest in the things that made me, me. I became increasingly withdrawn.
Obsessed with the number on the scale, the numbers dancing in my head. I look in the mirror and see non-existant fat, I pinch away at every tiny bit of flesh left that lines my wasting muscles. I spent so long telling myself I'm huge that I lost belief in everything else, it was the one 'truth' I had and held on to. The prospect of putting on weight was always my greatest fear. I don't want to. I convince myself I do not need to. That I am fine just the way I am. That the bones are barely visible, that my hair isn't falling out that much, that the perpetual coldness I feel is just because it's winter. Staying the same weight is challenge enough. Every decision is tarred with the thought that the tiniest piece of food will cause me to inflate. Who do I believe, my loved ones telling me to stop, or that voice in my head that is finding triumph in not knowing what meals mean and celebrating the cries of my stomach? After screaming at all those around you that you don't have an eating disorder, having convinced
yourself you are fine, there may come a time that you finally realise you are not. Maybe it's your body that's no longer functioning the way it was, or, maybe you are finally beginning to believe the people that love and care for you most. For me, it was a combination of the two. I had realised what I was doing was not healthy and it surely did not make me happy, but, it was an addiction. I didn't want to stop. My body reacted. I fell ill and I was rushed to A&E. I very clearly remember thinking, is this all worth it? The truth is, despite being incredibly thin it still wasn't enough. For me or for others. I didn't feel attractive, I did not wish to flaunt my new figure. Instead I lived in oversized clothes and never bothered with
“
make-up. I became a social recluse and hated myself even more than I had before. After my hospital visit I agreed to visit an eating disorder clinic. They acted quickly and told me if I continued down this path I would die, and fast. I tried to muster courage and despite diagnosis still spent a lengthy amount of time in denial. Eventually, I decided that a life without food wasn't a life worth living. For, food is life - I needed it for survival and for the social. Every celebration, gift, means of human expression and affection is centred upon food. It is the heart of my mother and of my home. Every female will battle with her body, too fat, too skinny, too short, too tall. When you become anorexic it's just fat, fat, fat all the time. It's exhausting and it's self destructive. I wanted to change and I decided to believe the voice that told me that my health is far more important than
I WAS RUSHED TO A&E
”
Advisory: Som readers m e ay find th is article dis tressing.
being a size 6. A year on and I still struggle. I still have days that I end up over the toilet trying to vomit the box of biscuits I ate in 10 minutes. I still have days when I skip meals altogether, days when I seek to exercise away the apple that I ate for a meal. Restoring weight has been hard and honestly, there are days where I miss being considered overly skinny and pawing at my protruding bones. My mind plays games with me: you're fat, you're skinny, you're beautiful, you're disgusting. You're worthless, you're worthy. In the end, it's about practising kindness- to myself. I am not a size 6 because my body does not function when I am. Some fat on my body does not mean I am fat. Every day is a roller coaster and I am yet to get off the ride. When I do, I won't be that girl, the anorexic, but, the one third that beat the odds. •
ROAR! 9
pawed at my protruding ion.. This is the story of
TORTURE
Fashion has an eating disorder BY LAUREN CLARK THERE are 1.6 million people in the UK battling an eating disorder. A new study published in 2013 by King’s College London and the UCL Institute of Child Health stated that the number of people diagnosed with an eating disorder had risen by 15 per cent since 2000. The leading UK eating disorders charity, Beat, estimates that 10 per cent of those diagnosed have Anorexia Nervosa. This disease, the KCL study notes, is most prevalent in girls between the ages of 15 and 19. These are statistics with no accompanying explanation or miraculous cure. Anorexia is one of the most high profile of all mental health illnesses, let alone eating disorders. A disease in which, according to an NHS definition, “someone tries to keep their weight as low as possible by starving” is a shocking real-
ity in a modern, first world society. Why are cases of anorexia still so high? Who is responsible? Anorexia can form, in addition to a distorted body perception, through stress, depression and biological factors. However, it is the body perception that is the most well-known, with the global fashion industry blamed consistently for its alleged role in promoting an unhealthily underweight figure as the most desirable physique. The fashion industry first came seriously under fire for its role in promoting anorexia in the mid2000s. Luisel Ramos, a 20-year-old catwalk model, collapsed during a fashion show in Madrid due to complications caused by anorexia. Her death sparked a debate about the responsibility of the famously exclusive and mysterious industry in protecting the health of both its models and fashion-conscious young women. It was a vicious cycle, they claimed. The designers produced small sample sizes which look more covetable on the rail, then skinny models were hired to fit them, and finally the fashion magazines had no option but to photograph skinny
models in small clothes. Before you knew it, there were millions of print runs with underweight cover girls propositioned as the epitome of health, glamour and chic. Models themselves felt under huge pressure to fit these sample sizes in order to be cast. After Ramos’s death, more horror stories began to emerge of blatantly anorexic girls being cast in shows. Anna Carolina Reston, a 22-year-
others, were often still working as fashion models right up until their deaths. Louisa Rogers, a student at the London College of Fashion, spoke to Roar! about why she believes the fashion industry is to blame for the high rates of anorexia in the UK. “There is no doubt that the fashion industry promotes and glamourises a body that is under average in terms of weight,” she said. “No one is immune to the mas-
One in ten of those with an eating disorder have anorexia old catwalk model, died in 2006 after being told two years previously that at eight stone, she was too large to model. Everyone, including her agents and fellow models, denied knowing she had a problem. Former catwalk model and the ‘face of anorexia’, Isabelle Caro, starred in the famous ‘No Anorexia’ campaign in 2007 while suffering from the disease herself. She died, aged 28, in 2010. These women, and numerous
sive influence of fashion media and advertising, and everyone feels the same pressure to conform, which often leads to eating disorders and body dysmorphia.” The fashion industry has worked hard to shake off this negative image. In the immediate aftermath of Ramos’s death, the Milan and Madrid fashion weeks banned overly thin models. At the time, London Fashion Week refused to follow suit, but
the British Fashion Council set up a Model Health Inquiry in 2007. All fashion councils, New York, Paris, Milan and London, have since voted against requiring models to provide a health certificate before they are hired, citing reasons of “impracticality”. Israel has taken the boldest move so far, banning the use of models with a BMI lower than 18.5 in 2012. However, while Mark Fast caused a press storm in 2010 when he used plus-sized models in his LFW show, Rogers argues that this is simply not enough. “Fashion either seems to do this or swing to the other extreme and feature morbidly obese models as a shock-tactic to promote different kinds of beauty. There is no middle ground.” Speaking to Roar!, Beat believes that there is still room for improvement. “While the fashion industry doesn’t directly cause eating disorders, it has a powerful influence that is highly toxic to some vulnerable young people. We call on them to recognise the responsibility they have,” a spokesman said. “The industry ... are ideally placed to bring about the change in attitudes and actions that a generation of young people deserve.” •
fashionlifestyle.rogue@gmail.com
THE DARK SIDE OF FASHION: PRESSURE, DRUGS AND SUICIDE FASHION designers today are envied for their fame, fortune and luxurious lifestyles. However, there is a dark and far more disturbing side to the industry juxtaposed with the glitz and glamour of glossy magazine covers. With the competition growing fierce to produce an exclusive and innovative collection every season, there is ever-increasing pressure. As well as two fashion weeks per year, there are now couture, resort and other sub-collections that fashion bosses have introduced in order to maximise their profits. The overwhelming and demanding environment (we saw a glimpse of it in The Devil Wears Prada) has left many designers mentally and physically drained. Indeed, a sad trend has seen many develop severe mental health issues as a result of their high workload. Sleepless nights Heavy alcohol and drug might assist creativity and energy, but can also lead to other health problems; all in pursuit of the ultimate next season trend.
John Galliano, former creative director for Dior, faced a severe public breakdown in 2011. Two years later he revealed to Vanity Fair that as the collections increased he became a slave to his career, and this led him astray down a path of alcohol addiction. He confirmed that he did not drink to fuel his creativity, but to help him unwind and sleep after the shows. Slowly it became more frequent, and the pills soon joined in order to prevent his unstable body from shaking and to cure his sleepless nights. “What had started off as self expression turned into a mask”, as his workaholic lifestyle took over. Renowned designer Alexander McQueen also felt similar pressures from the industry to repeatedly produce. The fashion world was left grieving his design genius when he committed suicide in 2010. With phenomenal boundarybreaking shows, McQueen began to struggle with the demands of his own label, since this was the only aspect of his life where he allegedly felt like he was successful. He was also mourning the suicide of his good friend and mentor, fash-
ion journalist Isabella Blow, in 2007. McQueen developed depression himself, and after a number of previous attempts he, too, committed suicide. Admitted to rehab Balmain’s former creative director, Christophe Decarnin, also suffered from depression. He was admitted to a mental hospital in 2011 due to depression and an anxiety attack while preparing for Paris Fashion Week. Many other recognised designers have also suffered from similar issues caused by their work: Yves Saint Laurent went through a dark period of depression which caused substance abuse and Marc Jacobs’ addiction meant he had to be admitted to rehab. The fashion world’s stringent demands have been responsible for increased depression, anxiety and insomnia among talented and highprofile designers. However, such health problems in the industry rarely receive publicity. Indeed, it seems like such substance abuse is the only survival kit for reaching the top of the industry’s ladder. •
BY IMRATI ANAND
TROUBLED: Fashion designer Alexander McQueen
Beauty note: STUDENT FACESAVERS
BY EMILY FOLKES
BRUCE- HARRIET LESTER, EMILY SALISBURY, AARON HSU, 19 GEORGIA 19 18 JONES, 19 Second Year Adult Nursing Snapped: Waterloo Campus
Second Year Physiotherapy Snapped: Guy’s Campus
First Year Biochemistry Snapped: Guy’s Campus
First Year Maths Snapped: Strand Campus
SPOTTED ON CAMPUS BY JACINTA RUSCILLO
Instagram/jacintamenina
SOME say students have it easy. But, when it comes to late nights of studying (or the occasional partying) and the horror of the 9am start, the signs of tiredness can show when the beauty morning ritual is cut short. However, some of the latest products on the market are beauty lifesavers for the average student. Whether it is a party or a night of working, never forget to take off your makeup. It will only lead to more worrying issues! Want to do this in one clean and un-harming step? Then grab your hands on Bioderma H20 solution. One pump on a cotton pad removes everything. Simple. Late nights will undoubtedly take their toll on the skin. Spots and a dull complexion are always a horror no matter how early in the morning. Estee Lauder’s new Advance Night repair serum is a saviour.
A pricey item but worth every penny. One drop rubbed into the skin will fade away those signs of tiredness while adding moisture and a ‘plumping up’ effect. A speedy morning makeup routine is essential for the rush to reach the 9am. Four steps in five minutes will get you ready. Dior Skin Nude BB cream will provide you with an illuminising and natural base. Next is concealer. The most important step. If you can get your hands on Nars Creamy concealer then it speaks for itself. Finish with a swoop of cream blush – a dollop of Mac Something Special always does its trick – and a coating of mascara that you know works fast. Clinique High Impact, for example, will make you look a wide-eyed beauty! •
Emily’s blog:
folkesthinks.blogspot.com
@Emily_Folkes
VINTAGE SECRETS
MANY people say that they like to dress individually, styling interesting and unique outfits. But how actually feasible is this on a student budget? Indeed, Topshop is definitely not getting any cheaper. The answer? Vintage sales and market stalls. Camden Market and Portobello Road always have stalls with key pieces at reasonable prices. But the real steals come from vintage fairs in Hackney and Spitalfields where, if you have the patience and resilience, you can pick up a kilo’s worth of clothes for a set price of £10 or £20. Others work in a car-boot fashion, whereby you pay £1 entry and the rest is à-la-carte. One of the best is Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fair which runs on the first Saturday of every month in East London. It starts early (10/11am) but it is worth arriving early for the best picks and to beat the rush. Topshop’s flagship in Oxford Circus has a vintage selection, but the brand craftily attaches a hefty price tag as well. You’ll wonder what you have been doing all your life without the wondrous world of vintage. Just remember: you shouldn’t have to pay extortionate prices for what are essentially old, secondhand clothes. Be smart and streetwise and get your style for a steal. •
Meet the F&L columnists FASHION: How
would I style it? HELEN LI
19 Medicine 2nd year
TARTAN print was dominating the catwalks of AW13/14 from Moschino to Versace. It’s no wonder therefore that this highland trend has taken over the high street, and is definitely here to stay. I never thought that I would ever wear tartan again. I think the last time I did was when I was in primary school. Yes, we had to wear tartan pinafores. It may have taken over a decade but in the deep and meaningful words of Jessie J, who’s laughing now? Of course, having said that, it doesn’t mean drowning yourself in tartan to the extent that even the Scots will judge you.
BY AMIRA ARASTEH
as are futuristic metallics, adding a punk feel. Black never lets anyone down and was featured on the catwalks with a twist of animal print and velvets. And of course, no one can undermine the presence this autumn’s oversized coat. As a student it is hard to stay on top of the newest trends on a tight budget. However, here I have compiled for you some affordable high street copies of the designer versions:
MYMODE101.WORDPRESS.COM
TOPSHOP
JULIEN MACDONALD AT DEBENHAMS
BOOHOO BY AMIRA ARASTEH
The library stone
BEAUTY: My
prettiest picks
EMILY FOLKES
FAYE BROWN
20 History 3rd year
WHEN Kate Moss said ‘nothing tastes as good as skinny feels’ she had obviously never experienced a twelve hour day at the Maughan. Here, work seems genuinely impossible unless accompanied by a box of Cadburys fingers, a giant size packet of Kettle chips, a Tesco meal deal and perhaps some Percy Pigs. With all the will in the world, studying seems unfathomable without such revision provisions, and often resisting the urge to binge is harder than the work itself. After all, everyone needs brain food.
20 English 2nd year
AS the clocks go back it is time for our makeup bags to have an autumnal renewal. What does this mean exactly? It means bringing in the berries. Whether it is raspberry, cranberry or blueberry toned products, autumn is about bringing these fruitful colours to our makeup wardrobe. To begin with simple steps, let us talk about nails. Having a lacquer of berrytoned polish is the easiest way to add some autumnal sophistication. I highly recommend Essie’s polish in ‘Luxedo’ or ‘After School Boy Blazer’; great names, greater colours. ‘Luxedo’, a rich, dark cranberry and ‘Blazer’, a black-like blue.
Read the full columns online at www.roarnews.co.uk now
SAVVY STUDENT SHOPPING MY favourite thing about autumn is the array of gorgeous colours: auburn, purple and gold. I therefore especially love it when the high street jumps on the bandwagon too and brings out collections in the same beautiful shades. There is nothing better than snuggling up in a purple wool scarf or a beautiful golden tan coat with a fur collar. All we are missing now is a crackling fire. This season sees a mixture of crisp and warm tones, camouflage patterns and warm fur and knitwear. Tartan and leathers are prominent,
STUDENT LIFE:
How To: Do It Like Alexa ALEXA Chung was nearly a King’s girl. After studying English, Art and History at A level she received an offer here to study English but turned it down to pursue a burgeoning modelling career. This September, Penguin published her highly coveted debut book It, which has divided fashion journalists and readers alike. At her book launch Daisy Lowe gushed: “Her brain is so interesting and mad and she’s so bright… she’s got the most incredible way with words”. “She’s also really lovely and just, yeah, one of the most inspiring women of our time I think,” she added. This is hard to swallow having read It cover to cover. The experience of reading her book differs very little from that of looking at Tumblr. Aesthetically it is very appealing; printed on thick white paper are grainy Polaroids of dishevelled, pretty girls at various parties, photobooth strips and abstract ink drawings. However, although it’s supposed to give the impression that she’s just emptied the contents of her bedside drawer onto the pages, the whole thing ends up feeling overwhelmingly contrived. Her supposed ‘How To’ advice feels affected and serves no practical purpose for the reader. She writes pretentiously: ‘How to rage: Get a balloon and a best friend. Go to a festival in a desert. Be 24’. Rather than shedding any light on the fashion industry or unpacking her so called ‘It Girl’ status, Alexa teaches us ‘How to master the art of the self-portrait’, AKA the ‘selfie’. Worse, she offers a one to five guide to getting
dressed, which includes: ‘2. Is the outfit clean?’ and ‘4. Put it on, and this is crucial…look in a mirror’. Beneath her tongue-incheek irony here is the fact that she is utterly unwilling to part with any genuine sartorial advice. Instead, and to our irritation, she seeks to maintain her image as an enigma to whom it just kind of comes naturally. There are some good moments though, for instance on the predicament of haircuts she writes: “Boys say they don’t mind how you get your hair done. But then they leave you for someone with really great standard girl hair and the next thing you know you’re alone with a masculine crop crying into your granola.” However, on remembering the £16.99 that’s been parted with, the reader starts to feel just a little sore with Alexa and her ‘my life’s so great’ Tumblr-esque musings. Ultimately, the overall feeling of the book is that of a stage-managed operation of covert selfpromotion, or ‘humble-bragging’ as The Man Repeller wittily coined it. However, take note girls: in an interview with the Independent she’s reported to have said that “she absolutely plans to go back and do that degree one day”. So, you never know - one day soon you could walk in on Chung taking Polaroid ‘selfies’ in the Waterfront bathroom. •
BY DELARA SHAKIB
filmtv.rogue@gmail.com
‘ADHD IS MY GREATEST FRIEND ’ AND WORST ENEMY Rory Bremner, renowned political satirist, talks about King’s and his mental health RORY Bremner, alumnus and Fellow of King’s College London, is a successful satirist, playwright and comedian, known best for his impressions of politicians on television. But behind the comic persona is a man living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). He has openly discussed the condition in interviews and even presented a BBC Radio 4 show about coping with it. Restlessness and impulsivity Bremner says he wasn’t even
aware that he had the condition when he was at King’s: “I was just doing too many things at once, as usual plays, lectures, stand-up comedy on the London pub circuit - way too much. “And probably talking too much in seminars. Whenever I see contemporaries from King’s days, I feel the urge to apologise!” Now he recognises that a lot of his characteristics, such as restlessness and impulsivity, “are pretty textbook ADHD stuff.” “Someone recently said it was like watching six TV screens, all showing different things, and flicking your eyes between them. “But every now and again they all
show the same thing, and then you’re really focused.” Helpful Bremner has an ambivalent relationship with his condition, saying, “I sort of look at ADHD as my greatest friend and my worst enemy.” But ADHD can be helpful for a comic performer, as you have to think on your feet: “It keeps me interested (in too much) and makes connections which are useful for a comedian.” “On the other hand, I hate the scrapes it gets me into when I’ve taken on too much, or forgotten something, or yet again failed to be organised.” •
ROMEO AND JULIET - A STEP TOO FAR? TWO star-crossed lovers able to the novice ear, but they ques- ed remake, which ventured into the meet again in the latest tion the authenticity of what seems to suburbs of Verona Beach combining be, in all other areas, a rather faithful authentic Shakespearian language Romeo and Juliet remake. with a hip-hop edge. However, with the essence of Baz adaptation. Luhrmann’s 1996 version still looming in its shadows, it seemed like director Carlo Carlei may have had a difficult task in creating an adaptation that distinguishes itself from other reworks of the greatest love story ever told. The conventional remake of this Shakespeare classic takes a step back in time, familiarising itself with established adaptations such as the original by Zeffirelli in 1968. In the setting of Fair Verona, the cast enjoy an ensemble of doublet and hose reminiscent of the productions that many students find themselves all too familiar with. Yet screenwriter Julian Fellowes takes a brave approach to the script LOVERS: Hailee Steinfeld and Douglas Booth on set On top of this, Leonardo DiCaprio Perhaps the main problem is that by adapting the bardspeak into his the production is consistently com- is the kind of talented, attractive eye own invented traditional style. The subtle tweaks are unnotice- pared to Luhrmann’s Oscar-nominat- candy who can only be described,
in all senses, as the perfect Romeo. Douglas Booth, to his credit, gave the role a good effort, undeniably hunky and easy on the eye. But realistically, could he ever have stood a chance against his predecessor? On the other hand, Juliet (Hailee Steinfeld) seemed to a lack an air of enthusiasm, and gave a rather feeble performance for what should have been a rather resilient and feisty Juliet. A positive, however, comes in the form of Lesley Manville, who plays a jittery, jocular nurse adding a sense of light-heartedness to the mainly downbeat and depressing storyline. Her performance is complemented by Paul Giamatti, who provides an authentic performance of Friar Laurence. Both of these actors particularly benefit the cast by establishing a sense of reality for a stereotypical Shakespeare production. Damian Lewis’s performance, on
the other hand, is rather questionable. In places he provides a wellasserted, strict Lord Capulet. However, this was unfortunately suppressed by his inability to maintain a long-lasting, hard-hitting approach as Juliet’s father. Overall, I can only describe this as a ‘not bad’ adaptation. There are moments of excitement and anticipation, for which the credit really belongs to Shakespeare’s original play. However, these brief, enjoyable moments are unfortunately overcast with flaws such as poor casting and performance. And as Carlei goes back to basics, it is difficult as a viewer to be excited over such an easily anticipated script. Perhaps the main issue lies in the question of whether there was ever actually a purpose for this adaptation to come to the screens, as it could only ever be compared to its favourable forerunners. •
by MEGAN PAGE
FILTH - NOT FOR THE FAINT-HEARTED A SAVAGE interpretation of the 1998 novel by Scottish author Irvine Welsh. Written and directed by Jon S. Baird – who also directed the cult classic Trainspotting. The film is centred around Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson (James McAvoy), who indulges in shocking forms of violence, masturbation and sadomasochism, including hints of racism and homophobia. Having spent my youth in Edinburgh, I thoroughly enjoyed the film’s paradoxical perspective of a truly middle-class city. The storyline revolves around
Robertson’s struggle to secure a promotion and win back his wife and child. However, hints of mental illness are embedded throughout the film, with extremely disturbing hallucinations and childhood flashbacks. To achieve his promotion, Robertson chooses to turn his colleagues against one another, including his close friend Ray Lennox (Jamie Bell). As the film progresses, the title Filth is certainly well-chosen, as the storyline becomes more and more twisted, littered with profanity and drug abuse. The audience witnesses Robert-
ACTING SKILLS: James McAvoy
son’s life spiral out of control and we vividly experience flashes of the grotesque hallucinations that manifest in Robertson’s mind, including warped recollections of his visits to his psychiatrist (Jim Broadbent). However, towards the end, the plot becomes complex and difficult to follow. As the hallucinations become more frequent, it becomes harder to distinguish from reality. Overall, the strange enjoyment in Filth is almost solely due to McAvoy’s outstanding performance. McAvoy manages to interpret the sadistic and psychopathic demeanour of Robertson’s character, yet is somehow able to maintain his likeability.
His character’s crumbling mental state and grasp on reality are both highlighted by moments of clarity, where the audience gets a glimpse of the person he really is, beneath all the dark humour. Filth is certainly a film that audiences should experience. At the most uncomfortable moment, when you feel like you should be looking away, it is impossible not to glare at the screen. But be warned - it takes a few seconds to adjust back to reality after viewing. •
BY Heather Clark
MENTAL HEALTH IN FILM: TOUCHING OR INSENSITIVE? SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (2012)
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST (1975)
MCMURPHY (Jack Nicholson) has once again found himself in trouble with the police. In order to escape prison duties, he pleads insanity and is sent to a mental institution, where he settles in well. Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher) is a domineering woman who gains power through the disabilities of the other inmates. McMurphy and the other inmates join together in rebellion against the oppressive nurse. On the one hand, this film is uplifting in that it shows strength and courage, but on the other hand, the fact that Chief kills the lobotomised McMurphy can be seen to suggest a releasing from a prison in the mind - something that can be seen as insensitive to some audiences. •
AFTER being housed in a mental institution, Pat (Bradley Cooper) moves back to his parents’ house in an attempt to get his career and marriage back on track. Although, things become all the more challenging when he meets equally troubled Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence). I think the fact that Lawrence won an Academy Award for her role speaks volumes. But in general, the audience come to love the quirks of these two characters and the film has an uplifting feel - a huge achievement for a rom-com that centres on bipolar disorder and depression. •
BLACK SWAN (2010)
A COMMITTED dancer Nina (Natalie Portman) desperately wants the lead in Swan Lake, requiring her to play both the white and black swan. But, Lily (Mila Kunis) seems tough competition for the part. Nina becomes overwhelmed by the pressure from her mother, and herself, to get the part and begins to lose her mind. The film deals with schizophrenia, as Nina begins to lose touch with reality. She conjures up a range of situations, detached from the real world. However, this film also touches upon OCD, eating disorders and self-harm. The film is critically acclaimed and Portman’s performance won an Academy Award - but in terms of mental illness, it is quite rare that all these illnesses would occur at once. Again a good watch, but perhaps an exaggeration from the reality of living with a mental illness. •
PSYCHO (1960)
THIS Hitchcock classic touches upon multiple personality disorder. A secretary steals money from a client and runs away to a remote motel run by Norman Bates, a young man controlled by his mother, Norma. Throughout the narrative, it becomes clear that Bates has multiple personality disorder, through behaving normally as himself during the daily running of the motel, and then murdering his victims as ‘Norma’ (dressed in his mother’s clothing). Although this film can make a thrilling watch, it could perhaps be treating sufferers of this mental illness in an insensitive and potentially harmful way. •
by CHARLOTTE WOODS
PRAISE FOR PRISONERS ON LEITH “I DIDN’T know we’d come to watch a horror film,” a friend whispered to me halfway through the film. This isn’t a horror film in the conventional sense, but I thought this quote summed up the film perfectly. Prisoners is a dark, moody, psychological thriller that had me transfixed from start to finish. Starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, Prisoners follows the mystery surrounding the disappearance of two young girls. The case is assigned to Detective Loki (Gyllenhaal), a man who’s solved every case he has ever been assigned. The father of one of the girls (Jackman) decides to take matters into his own hands when one of the main suspects, played by the wonderfully creepy Paul Dano, is released from questioning without charge. Jackman’s performance was truly praiseworthy. His portrayal of a father’s anguish and frustration is utterly believable. His character’s moral descent
forces us to question what we would do for those we hold dear. It makes for uncomfortable yet compelling viewing. Gyllenhaal delivers a subtle and greatly poised performance as a detective who seems constantly on edge, but sometimes his nuanced performance can appear lazy. A greater understanding of the history behind Detective Loki wouldn’t have gone amiss, to justify the character’s suppressed aggression and seemingly layered personality. Twists and turns But these are minor quibbles in what is otherwise a near flawless film experience. Arguably, the best performance comes from Paul Dano. Playing a suspected child abductor, he gives a haunting performance as a disturbed, unhinged man. All of this, captured largely in silence - he only says about 30 words in the film - adds to the eeriness of his performance. The term ‘hooked’ is truly fitting for describing this film, which
is a credit to the writer, Aaron Guzikowski. With an engaging and perfectly paced script, the two and a half hour running time seemed to fly by. The conflict between Jackman and Gyllenhaal’s characters is well played and greatly thought out. Although the clever plot is immensely exciting for the first half of the film, the second half dwindles away into a resolution that doesn’t do the rest of the film justice. However, the twists and turns experienced as the plot unfolds are what makes this film such a gripping one, especially in an age where character-driven stories are too often sacrificed for mundane worthless action. I really wanted to hate the first film I reviewed for Rogue Film, as writing a hateful, expletive-filled review seemed liked it would be a lot more fun, so the only disappointment I felt after watching Prisoners was that I liked it too much! •
BY SWARAJ DEWEDI
A FILM adaption of the stage musical by Scottish playwright Stephen Greenhorn, incorporating 13 songs by The Proclaimers. Everyone knows the hit pop song I will walk 500 miles! And everyone loves a good ol’ Scottish sing-along! So what’s not to like? After serving in Afghanistan, Davy (George McKay) and Ally (Kevin Guthrie) return to their hometown of Edinburgh. Having witnessed one of their close friends being crippled in action, they attempt to settle back in to their everyday lives. Both working in a call centre, the boys wonder where their future is heading. While Davy is in search of a more fulfilling career, Ally is more focused on settling down with Davy’s sister, Liz (Freya Mavor). On a last minute set-up, Davy meets Liz’s friend Yvonne (Antonia Thomas) and unexpectedly falls for her. As the plot progresses, it begins to focus on Davy’s parents - Jean and Rab - and their 25th wedding anniversary, including a shocking
twist about Rab’s past - which tests their relationship. Although some of the singing is questionable, the upbeat, Mamma Mia-esque melodies and cheery storyline make it impossible for the audience not to love this film. The endearing cobbled streets of Leith add to the heart-warming, feel-good ambience, not to mention the spectacular panoramic views of the capital Scottish city - with brilliant sunsets and the silhouette of Edinburgh Castle. However, at some points the production can seem a little clumsy but, for me, it added to the off-beat, quirky characteristics of the film. For those who go into the film a bit too seriously, it may be easier just to cringe when the cast break into song. But beneath the cheesy trivial drama the director, Dexter Fletcher, manages to inject some gritty Scottish charm. By the end of the film you will struggle to leave the screen without a grin on your face - or singing along to the music! •
by Heather CLARk
I PRESCRIBE YOU MUSIC Music therapy is as old as music itself, but now it’s being recognised among medical professionals, says Joe Brookes WE are all somewhat aware of the therapeutic qualities of music. Particularly among the current generation of twenty-somethings, you would be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t got their favourite song or artist, which they can go back to in certain situations as a way of alleviating a bad mood. I would say this is one of the key reasons we listen to music at all. On the flip side, music can be used in a range of clinical functions. Research has shown that musical therapy is a useful tool in the treatment of neurological disorders. With diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia, it can lead to improvements in interaction, conversation, and other such skills. Similarly, it has been shown to help treat symptoms of schizophrenia, depression, and amnesia among others. Alongside standard treatment, music therapy can vastly improve the recovery of stroke sufferers, and those who are victims of brain injuries. Perhaps a famous case of successful music therapy was in the treatment of American politician Gabrielle Giffords, who received a bullet to the brain in what was reportedly an assassination attempt in 2011. Music is said to have been key to her recovery of the ability to speak, her music therapist Meaghan Morrow proclaiming music as the “other road to get back to language.” What Morrow said is in some ways a simplification of one of the key processes that music therapy
achieves. In responding to music, the brain makes cerebral bypasses around the damaged area, in a sense tricking new connections and strengthening weaker channels that are used less by normally developed brains. In the therapy session, this can be achieved by singing; sometimes it is easier to sing words than to say them, and it can help patients access words and sounds that were always there but just hard to reach. In the treatment of depression, music is again a powerful communicative and non-invasive tool. Not only does this process of tricking, or finding new pathways, happen in the neurology of the brain on a chemical level, but music can be a way of getting things across that speaking about is too painful, too difficult. “Nothing activates the brain so extensively as music,” says Dr. Oliver Sacks, Professor of Neurology at Columbia University. It helps patients relax, and instils a sense of control in this mellowing out, something that is true for all people. There is also the empathy in the singing voice; hearing another human being expressing emotions that one might have originally thought only they experienced can help with relieving feelings of isolation. Alongside other art forms, music is integral to shaping our identities. For students this is manifested in the way people define their fashions as a result of their music taste, and it decides which events they go to, so for many of us it is the cen-
tral part our social lives. Seeing the effects music can have on the brain proves that the music we listen to is much more than a soundtrack to our time at university, it is part of the entire mindset that drives us through it. Likewise, the sheer amount of musical activities at King’s (the Ukulele Society and the King’s Chapel Choir to name but a couple) proves that playing music is an important social interaction. Music therapy is still a relatively young form of medicine, but its values are clear. More degree programmes in the study and training of this kind of therapy are being introduced at universities all over the world. More doctors and therapists are strongly advocating its use, as are the stars themselves: musicians Annie Lennox and Labrinth among others have been named as patrons of the London-based organisation Nordoff-Robbins, which specialises in music therapy sessions and research. For me personally, having a daily dose of music is my main form of therapy when dealing with London life, and I think it’s high time that we acknowledge the psychological profits of music in its varying applications. So, I have enlisted the help of Lucy Sheehan to plan out your daily prescription of music, we hope you enjoy it! •
BY JOE BROOKES
MEGAN BEECH LIKE most bookish, teenage introverts who find themselves dealing with mental health issues, Morissey and Marr were the soundtrack to my depression. The Smiths, much maligned for being the denizens of the morose and the miserabalist sounded like how I felt. Jagged guitar providing the backdrop for the hauntingly hollow sound of Morissey’s singing voice made me feel a bit more human. Surely that’s what great art should do - bring you back to life. •
ISHANI BAGGA
GIVEN that city life is a constant stress, people turn to their mp3 players in times of need. Dealing with tube journeys and essay deadlines is difficult enough to manage for most people, let alone those with mental illnesses. Both as a means of escapism and a means of relieving stress, music is a godsend - an outlet for creative expression, and an outcry for those who live through the creative expression of others. Headphones help you to ignore everyone else, and more often than not, that’s exactly what you need. •
00:00
NOCTURNAL brilliance from Brighton’s incredible surf-doom trio, The Wytches – Beehive Queen and Crying Clown are both perfect for lonely nights in and strange nights out. YouTube their new single Robe for Juda. for more swirling, dark psychedelica and impossibly heavy breaks.
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NO 2013 playlist should be without the late master himself, Lou Reed. Transformer’s anthemic Perfect Day will get you home in the highest spirits.
2nd year English
09:00
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NICK DRAKE is your perfect companion for the lonely walk home, or the idle post-party stroll. Quietly hopeful and sweetly melancholic, this is nostalgic rural psychedelica to beat any looming hangover. Put on Road or Pink Moon, and plan summer road trips.
2nd year English
BUFFETED by sour commuters? Lost your ticket? Smash on through the barriers to Beastie Boys’ massive Sabotage. Anything is possible.
YOUR DAILY PRESCRIPTION
11:00
GROOVY and infectious even before it climbs into its devastatingly heavy chorus, Foals’ Inhaler is five minutes of pure explosive energy.
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SIMPLE and achingly sweet with its twisted nostalgia, Neutral Milk Hotel’s King of Carrot Flowers is a lo-fi masterpiece - ideal for a sunlit walk along the South Bank.
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DIIV’s strange and beautiful psych, held together with Joy Division-esque beats and sprinkled with Zachary Cole Smith’s ethereal vocals, will carry you through the city in a perfect haze.
Drake’s London depression
NICK Drake, an English songwriter who did not receive recognition or widespread acclaim during his lifetime, died aged just 26 in 1974 from an overdose of antidepressants. A unique songwriter who only released three records in his short career, Drake was a shy and introverted character from a privileged background who battled with depression throughout his twenties. Drake read English Literature at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. While he said in letters to his sister that he felt happy at Cambridge, he was never committed to his studies because his interest in music demanded all his attention. Drake’s friend from Cambridge, Brian Wells, has said “We would get up late, smoke dope and not go to lectures. We felt we were superior.”
In fact Drake dropped out of Cambridge just nine months before graduating in order to pursue his music career full time. The bold choice to drop out and move to London led to his first album in 1969, Five Leaves Left. Yet due to its unique and uncharacteristic sound, with unorthodox tunings and distinctive finger work, as well as Drake’s reticence to do any promotional work, the album only sold around 5,000 copies at the time of release. Heavy cannabis and suspected heroin use, coupled with further social withdrawal led to various visits to psychiatrists and a prescription for antidepressants. He went for weeks without seeing anyone and released his third and final album in 1972, Pink Moon, arguably his most accomplished work. His sister has pinpointed this as
the time when things started to go badly wrong. Following another commercial failure, Drake moved back to his parents’ home, which he saw as shameful. He believed he had failed, saying “I don’t like it at home, but I can’t bear it anywhere else.” While Drake’s depression and disillusionment could be put down to his perceived failure in the music industry, there seem to be clear signs of depression before this, including his well-documented trouble with insomnia and shyness around people. His music has brought solace and support to thousands of young people who have trouble with mental illness. The song Fruit Tree on Five Leaves Left is a haunting prophecy of the belated recognition Drake would achieve: “Safe in your place deep in the earth/That’s when they’ll
know what you were really worth.” Was Nick Drake’s condition a product of the music industry, or would Drake have had the same mental afflictions or worse if music had not been a creative outlet for him? Drake once said to a friend: “If everyone thinks I am so great, why am I broke?” In life he was unable to bridge the gap between his vision of himself as an artist and the reality of his commercial success. At this age, when we are told constantly that we are unique and special and could become famous in five minutes flat, people’s ambitions don’t necessarily match reality. Equally, at a competitive university such as King’s, people feel inadequate or disillusioned when their degree does not necessarily guarantee a job, especially with the state of the
economic climate. O n e positive t h i n g to take a w a y f r o m D r a k e ’s untimely death is the success he has had posthumously. He once said to his mother, “If only my music had done anything to help one single person.” Today he could have truly said that his music has done so. •
BY Charlie Robertson
musicreviews.rogue@gmail.com
CHAPEL CHOIR IS THERAPY Online music editor Oscar King looks at choral singing, an activity as beneficial to our health as yoga
I SING in the King’s College Chapel Choir. As entry to the choir is based on receiving a choral scholarship, the standard is high and rivals many of the Oxbridge choirs. For those of you who don’t know it, we rehearse Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the chapel: boasting an ornate red and gold décor, the chapel is hidden away on the second floor of the Strand Campus – you should go, if not for the singing, at least for the architecture. There is something profoundly therapeutic in singing as a group. It allows you to create something that no individual can: harmony. In King’s Chapel Choir our staple repertoire is renaissance polyphony (16th century), David Trendell’s specialty. There can be several interweaving vocal parts, as many as 40 in the
case of Byrd’s ‘Spem In Alium’. I think it is amazing how a piece can start with a single line, a modest motif, and gradually grow, forming a rich wall of sound including melodies, countermelodies and accompaniments. When the parts all finally come together at the end, a homogenous sound is created and it is hard not to feel a sense of achievement. In London’s ever-changing state of flux, I can assure that this unity is most welcome. Heart-wrenching However, the most therapeutic thing for me about singing is how emotive it can be. On the one hand, there is something supremely uplifting in singing a ‘Magnificat,’ the first words being ‘My soul doth magnify the lord.’ Although I am not religious, you
can still sense the feeling of elation that one must get from praying to God and believing that something greater than yourself really does exist. On the other hand, the sadness expressed in a piece like ‘Tristitsia et Anxietas’ can be heart-wrenching if it is sang well and with the right dynamics. The point is, singing music can provide you with a release of genuine emotion, which I find refreshing in a world where a ‘like’ or a ‘tweet’ is meant to express something so complex, impossible to do accurately with so few words. In a way, the act of making music transcends expressing emotion through language: while linguistic manipulation distorts emotion, music seems to bridge the gaps between emotions and human physiology. Indeed, science has been hard at
work explaining the calming yet energising effect of singing on people. The elation may come from endorphins, a hormone released by singing and associated with feelings of pleasure. Synchronised heartbeats
Additionally, a hormone called oxytocin is released while singing which alleviates anxiety and stress, which explains why many studies have found that singing lessens feelings of depression and loneliness. Group singing is cheaper than therapy, healthier than drinking, and certainly more fun than going to the gym. A study from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden found that choristers’ heartbeats may synch up during group singing, bringing about a calming effect that is as beneficial to our health as yoga.
The more structured the work, the more the singers’ heart rates increased or decreased together – slow chants produced the most synchrony. When I told a friend I sang in the chapel choir, their reply was something like ‘Wow, so you’re part of those angelic voices I hear on the way to my lectures?’ Although angelic is probably an overstatement, singing allows you to access another realm of consciousness, always ethereal and always otherworldly. Why don’t you come to one of our carol concerts on 4, 5 and 6 December? Tickets are free (hooray) but are a required for these services: to attain them you can email chaplaincy@ kcl.ac.uk. You can then decide for yourself whether listening to choral music is therapeutic without spending a penny! •
THE BEST OF THE REST THE RESISTABLE RISE OF ARTRURO UI SUGGESTED BY? Kristina Foster WHERE? Duchess Theatre WHEN? Until 7th December HOW MUCH? Varying, but there’s an offer on at the moment for the best seats for £36.50 WHAT? A satirical portrayal of Hitler, aligning him and Nazi Germany with Artruro Ui
Read Kristina’s full review online
SARAH LUCAS WHERE? Whitechapel Gallery WHEN? Until 15th December HOW MUCH? Free! WHAT? Bawdy erotica, and very sexually explicit, Lucas turns every day items into provocative sculpture.
LAUGHTER REALLY IS THE BEST MEDICINE EVERYONE enjoys a good chuckle now and then, but is it true that it could actually be beneficial for our health? We all know that laughter’s contagious, but it’s becoming increasingly apparent that this is an infection we want to make sure we catch! Laughter releases endorphins in our brains, which promote a sense of well-being and relaxation. For many of us, laughter’s a major coping mechanism for stress, so much so that laughter therapy’s actually being prescribed to more and more people suffering from depression. It’s been scientifically proven that laughter almost completely dissolves distressing emotions, and it’s impossible to feel angry, anxious or sad while giggling. So next time you’re feeling swamped under with all that coursework, pop on your favourite comedy or grab a couple of mates and have a good old chuckle! •
by daisy bartlett
‘DEPRESSION IS MY MUSE’ Mental illness shouldn’t define a writer’s work, says Steph F DOES pain really breed creativity? Steph F discusses this difficult question, whilst giving us an insight into depression. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a writer. For nine years of that ‘as long as I can remember’, I have suffered with depression and anxiety. At age 12, I recognised my own unhappiness. At 19, I admitted it and began to get the help and support I needed. And, at 21, I’m ready to talk about it. There are many who believe that mental illness and ‘the creative’ are intertwined. Statistics state that creative people, writers in particular, have a higher risk of developing anxiety and bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, unipolar depression, and substance abuse. Writers are also twice as likely to kill themselves as the rest of the population. It’s debated what comes first? The chicken or the egg, the illness or the creativity? Are creative people more likely to suffer with mental illness, or are those who suffer from mental illness more attracted to creative professions? There’s also a question mark over how well they work together. Are those with mental health issues struggling creative geniuses, or does mental illness hold back and inhibit creative success? As a clinical depressive/anxiety sufferer/mental health patient/ whatever you want to label me as, and a writer, I can only approach this issue in one way: with my own personal experience. Of my body of creative writing
work, 100% of it is based in some way on something or someone that I have experience of, and I’d say at least 70% of it is inspired by my struggles with mental health. They say the best writing comes from writing what you know, and after so many years of struggling, there aren’t many things I know better than my depression. I know what it’s like to be a friend, a family member, a student, a traveller, a worker, but nothing seeps into your every moment, every thought you have, like depression does. For that, it is my most loyal friend, and my most hated enemy. If I were to look for the positives in my problems with mental health, I could find many. Depression is dull, draining, and destructive. It tears lives apart. However it’s also, in my experience, character building. On coming out of it, it gives you a new appreciation for the world and what you have, and it gave me a lot to write about. I can’t say I wrote any masterpieces while in the depths of my illness. I used writing as an escape, a therapy of course. For a writer, nothing heals like having a pen in your hand and letting the ink express your emotions. But in those instances, you get out what you can. Your life and your mind are so dominated by the force that is depression, that you can’t ask for poetic lyricism, or the next great British novel. All you can ask for is a bit of truth, and I believe that with mental illness, that’s the best thing you can get.
One of my favourite books is The Bell Jar, the first and only novel by Sylvia Plath. It’s seen by many as a parallel to Plath’s personal experience with what is presumed to be clinical depression. A month after its UK publication she committed suicide. Plath wrote the novel when in the depths of depression, which I think is a remarkable feat. At my lowest points, when my mind was screaming at me to find a belt and hang myself from my curtain pole, I can assure you that no critically acclaimed novel was coming out of me. My brain was so full of these thoughts and feelings of self loathing and self destruction, that I could barely put a normal sentence together. But maybe that’s what the beauty of it would have been? Maybe I should have picked up a pen and just written during those moments, and whatever came out I could claim to be creative genius. Yet I always find myself wondering, would that really be me writing, or would it be my illness? In the same way that I, and every other mental health patient, do not want their life to be defined by their mental illness, I would hate for my written work to be defined in such a way. Mental illness is a part of me, it is something that befell upon me, yet it is not me, and nor should it be my writing. When I write now, I write about depression, but I do not write as depression. I would be a fool to deny the half of my life which has been spent not only battling depression, but learning both about myself and the
world around me. Therefore I feel it is my duty to write about my experiences. I’ve written poems about getting into depression, being in depression, coming out of depression. And every single one of these poems is written by me, not my illness. That’s where I think we need to draw the line between mental illness and creativity. Mental illness is what, in some strange way, I would call my muse. It’s given me a body of work that I, in all likeliness, could not have got from anywhere else. Yet it has not given me my talent. In the same way that depression is not me, and I am not depression, depression is not my writing. Just like my life now, my writing is all mine. •
by Steph F
The power of the human mind EMMA Wyeth looks into how the infamous novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest portrays and explains the treatment of mental illness. One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a novel that dramatises the conflict between the demand for conformity in society and those who are constricted by this. Ken Kesey tries to galvanise a yearning for individuality, and stresses that treatment of mental illness will only ever be successful when it also embraces a patient’s humanity. “It’s the Indian’s storynot McMurphy’s or Jack Nicholson’s.” - Ken Kesey Kesey places his narrator within the confines of a mental hospital, whose clinical and colourless routine is oppressive. Chief Bromden, a tall, half
Native-American who pretends to be both deaf and dumb, describes the efforts of the ward’s tyrannical Nurse Ratched to quash the individuality of its occupants. Kesey tries to strike a balance in his writing; one that allows the reader to wholly trust Bromden’s account, but at the same time articulates Bromden’s own mental fragility. It is manifested beautifully, I think, in Bromden’s use of language: both with regards to Nurse Ratched and the industrial nature of the ward, and in Bromden’s dependence on McMurphy’s rebellion. As McMurphy’s determination wanes, Bromden’s mental clarity begins to unravel and ‘the fog’ of his mind rolls in to trap him. The Combine is a corporate and industrial mechanism that Kesey aligns with the role of a government. Bromden envisions the workers
of the ward to be machines, exposing their ‘wheels and cogs’ when they think no one is looking. The ward is merely a ‘factory of the combine’, that works to wrench the individuality from men, dispose them of their humanity and in this way ‘fix’ them. “Did you ever have people l-l-laughing at you? No, because you’re so b-big and so tough! Well, I’m not big and tough.” Billy Bibbit When McMurphy is introduced to the ward, he brings with him a gust of naturality; a beacon of human nature, with just as many flaws as strengths. Importantly, Bromden’s mental tranquillity depends on McMurphy’s continual fight. As McMurphy runs his hand through the glass screen of the nurses’ station, the ‘ringing’ in
Bromden’s head stops. Perhaps Kesey’s attitude toward mental stability hinges on hope, and the belief in the basic goodness of men as individuals. Through Bromden, Kesey dramatises a yearning for independence and yet a fear of it. McMurphy exhausts himself to try and prove that the patients don’t need to be ‘corrected.’ By smashing the glass of the nurses’ station, McMurphy gives Bromden permission to break free later in the novel. McMurphy guides Bromden to his own liberation and transition into the natural world. Kesey is looking forward to a time when men are not constricted and corrected for their humanity. Kesey writes a rejection of the cold and systematic conformity in favour of the power of the human mind - even if it is fragile. •
by emma wyeth
artstheatre.rogue@gmail.com
Virginia Woolf: A voice of one’s own King’s alumnus and patron of the new Kingsway campus also suffered from mental illness. Was her condition a help or a hindrance? BORN into an intellectual and well-connected family in 1882, Virginia Woolf resided in Kensington with her parents, as well as her three full siblings and four half siblings from both her parents’ previous marriages. When she was six, she was sexually abused by George and Gerald Duckworth, her two step-brothers. At 13, after her mother’s sudden death, she suffered her first nervous breakdown. Two years later, the death of her sister Stella deeply affected her, but her father’s death when she was 22 triggered her second and most alarming breakdown, for which she was briefly institutionalised. All her life, she would suffer from dramatic mood swings and severe depression, but she managed to find some relief in her writing. During her episodes, birds would talk to her in Greek, her dead mother would be resuscitated and voices would tell her to do wild things. In 1913 she attempted suicide for the first time, overdosing on veranol, and she was only saved thanks to a doctor living nearby who pumped her stomach. She hadn’t written anything yet. She saw the renowned psychiatrist George Savage intermittently for ten years, but like many of his colleagues, he subscribed to the focal infection theory: mental disequilibrium being caused by a tooth infection. He insisted on extracting three of her perfectly healthy teeth. Having to wear fake teeth for the rest of her life, Woolf retained a profound distrust of doctors and modern medicine. The publishing house she owned with her husband Leonard Cohen, whom she married in 1912, published Freud, and she read him voraciously. Her writings were also an attempt to understand who she was: the white pages were the analyst’s sofa and the black ink the stream of her consciousness. There was reality only in what she wrote.
Peter Dally, a psychiatrist who wrote her biography in 1999, said: “Virginia’s need to write was, among other things, to make sense out of mental chaos and gain control of madness. “Through her novels, she made her inner world less frightening. Writing was often agony but it provided the ‘strongest pleasure she knew’”. She befriended the Bloomsbury Group, a circle of intellectuals and free thinkers who shared her unconventional values and felt oppressed by the rigidity of Victorian England. They encouraged her to write. And write she would: it would be interrupted, hampered and hindered by her manic depression, but all in all she wrote approximately 20 books. She was recognised as a brilliant writer with a unique style and an authoritative modernist voice. Her most famous novels include To the Lighthouse, The Waves, Mrs Dalloway and A Room of One’s Own, in which she famously stated that a woman needed to have a room of her own if she were to write fiction. Between the Acts, Virginia’s last novel which she finished the year of her death, takes place on a single summer’s day. Eaten alive by her old demons, away from London and while Leonard was battling with his own depression, she surrendered on a winter’s day in 1941, drowning herself in a river next to her Sussex house, her pockets full of rocks. In a heartbreaking note to her husband she said, “If anyone could have saved me, it would have been you.” Her literary genius did not stem from her mental issues, but her battle against the voices in her head made her the writer she struggled to be. Her life was devoted to two activities: literature and battling mental illness. •
by Charlotte le maignan
PHOTO CREDIT: Ella Cooper
DON’T TELL ME TO TAKE A CHILL PILL
AS third-year students, stress is rife for all. The difference is that people deal with stress in different ways. Some people thrive off stress and find it a motivational factor to drive them forward. Others don’t get stressed out and let it wash over them. Or there are people like me, who cannot deal with it in the slightest. I mean, I bloody crumble. Everyone gets stressed
There is a great debate as to how much stress can be considered an issue of mental health. Surely it is something that everyone deals with, right? Everyone gets stressed, not everyone deals with depression, or bipolar – illnesses which are a chemical im-
balance or due to extreme extenuating circumstances. Well I beg to differ. Stress management impacts my life on a day-to-day basis and sometimes consumes and dictates my whole day. The pressure sends me into a spiral - I can’t see a way out. Cue tears, copious phone calls to my mum, chain smoking and possibly the worst consequence: compulsive tendencies to try to control everything else in my life. So yes, stress which leads to some kind of OCD I would consider to impact my mental health. I made an appointment with the counsellor I guess you’re all thinking, oh boohoo. BOO BLOODY HOO, you can’t
deal with the stuff that normal people can. Get a grip. And what the f**k has that got to do with arts and culture? My counselling sessions have really helped me out
Give me a theatre review already! Once I had established that getting slightly lost for five minutes doesn’t warrant crying, and disintegrating in the office over a tax rebate doesn’t either, I got my arse in gear. I made an appointment with a counsellor at the KCL Health Centre. My counselling sessions have really helped me out. Working with my counsellor, I have identified that what I’m crap at is doing nothing. I’ve been signed up for ‘mindfulness’ classes to create a blank mind
and relaxing start to the day. I need to be able to do things independently, things that are outside of a working environment. Therefore, I am advocating for arts and culture as a way out of stress. When s**t piles up, getting myself out to go and see some culture is a great way of alleviating and forgetting about everything that is piling up on my intense to do list. Go out and see some culture
I can, in some kind of pseudoFreudian way, project my own s**tty, stressy life into what I’m looking at. The best thing is comedy: Micky Flanagan’s tour at the O2 was a three hour window where the amount of work I had to do could be ignored. I can be absorbed into someone else’s life and experiences.
So, get out and see some culture. Dissertation reading piling up? F**k it. Go and get a fiver ticket for the Globe. Don’t know what you’re going to do after you graduate? Put it off, and go to the V&A and have a look round the exhibits. Broken up with the boyfriend? Well, have a little cry and then hop on the tube to Covent Garden and see an opera. Get out. See something different. Let someone else’s problems be more interesting than yours, even if just for a few hours. And if you’re still struggling, make an appointment with the KCL Counselling Service - they have helped me no end. •
by Anonymous