Comedian Tackles Heavy Topics in Personal Documentary About Mental Illness

British comedian Stephen Fry first opened up about his experiences with bipolar disorder in the 2006 documentary, “The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive,” and BBC One just aired a follow up to the film: “The Not So Secret Life of the Manic Depressive: 10 Years On.” The latest project chronicles Fry’s progress in therapy and examines the life of several other individuals living with mental illness.

• What is Bipolar disorder?

Fry allowed cameras to film his therapy sessions with his psychiatrist, Dr. William Shanahan, who’s been treating the star since his 2012 suicide attempt in Uganda, reported Huffington Post U.K. In the film, Fry also discusses how the death of his friend and fellow comedian Robin Williams made him reevaluate his own treatment.

“This is not a condition which is going to go away, you are not talking about curing me, you talking about how best I can cope with something that will live with me,” Fry told Dr. Shanahan during one session. “No matter how well things are going one day, there is always the possibility of me getting it wrong.”

In addition to Fry, the documentary profiles Alika Agidi-Jeffs, a man who rose to fame after a video of him singing on the London Underground was shared on YouTube and viewed by millions. Agidi-Jeffs has bipolar disorder, and he was going through a particularly tough time when the video went viral. Agidi-Jeffs considered taking his own life, but after finding support with his family and a therapist, he’s in a much better place. He now speaks at schools to help break down the stigma associated with mental illness, reported The Guardian.

“I want to remind everybody who’s going through this that they are not their diagnosis,” he told The Guardian. “Don’t let it be what shapes you. When people have the flu they don’t go around saying ‘I am flu.’ You might have bipolar [disorder], but you are not a sickness. It doesn’t define you.”

Fry is currently the president of the U.K. charity Mind, and he hopes sharing this film will continue to raise awareness for others living with mental illnesses. “It’s in the culture more and it’s understood more, and it’s extremely pleasing,” he said in the film’s trailer.

“You have to find a way for us as a society to value everyone including the mentally ill,” he added in the film. “Their difficulties make life harder for them to deal with.”

“The Not So Secret Life of the Manic Depressive: 10 Years On” aired on BBC on Monday, and can be viewed on the BBC One website.

If you or someone you know needs help, please visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting “START” to 741-741. Head here for a list of crisis centers around the world.