Answer Addiction

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  • Demi Moore And Family Open Up About Her Addiction: "A Monster Came"

    Demi Moore And Family Open Up About Her Addiction: "A Monster Came"

    “She would be a lot more affectionate with me if she wasn’t sober,” Tallulah Willis says.

    Actress Demi Moore and her three daughters sat down with Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, and Adrienne Banfield-Jones on Red Table Talk and took some time to discuss Moore’s struggles with addiction and how it has impacted her family.

    Tallulah Describes The Anxiety She Felt When Demi Wasn’t Sober

    The Ghost star began to struggle with substance use in her early 20s and suffered a relapse in her 40s that alarmed her daughters.

    “It’s like the sun went down and like, a monster came,” said Tallulah, the youngest of the three. “I remember there’s just the anxiety that would come up in my body when I could sense that her eyes were shutting a little bit more, the way she was speaking. Or she would be a lot more affectionate with me if she wasn’t sober.”

    “It was just jarring,” added Rumer, the eldest.

    Her Mother’s Overdose

    Moore’s experiences with addiction began when she was a young child, long before she took anything herself. Her own mother was addicted to pills. In an interview with Lena Dunham in September, she told a harrowing story about digging pills out of her mom’s throat with her fingers in order to save her from an overdose.

    “The next thing I remember is using my fingers, the small fingers of a child, to dig the pills my mother had tried to swallow out of her mouth while my father held it open and told me what to do,” she said. “Something very deep inside me shifted then, and it never shifted back. My childhood was over.”

    Recalling her own childhood, Moore made the decision not to do the same to her daughters, and with their support, dedicated herself to recovery.

    “It Was Not The Mom That We Had Grown Up With”

    “My daughters offered me an opportunity to start to change the generational pattern,” she told Dunham. “To be able to break the cycles.”

    This decision has been a relief to her daughters, who didn’t recognize the person their mother became when she started drinking again.

    “It was very weird, and there were moments where it would get angry,” Tallulah said. “I recall being very upset and kind of treating her like a child and speaking to her like a child. It was not the mom that we had grown up with.”

    Moore released her memoir, Inside Out, just days after her interview with Dunham. In the book, she reveals how much she struggled with her divorce from her ex-husband Ashton Kutcher and that her self-neglect had a negative impact on her relationship with her daughters.

    Thankfully, according to a source that spoke to PEOPLE, their relationship recovered and is now strong, with Moore dedicating herself to making it even better.

    “Now, she has a beautiful relationship with all of her daughters,” the source said. “Demi feels bad about the years when she wasn’t healthy. She really tries to make up for it now.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Makeup Artist Finds Cocaine In Sephora Package 

    Makeup Artist Finds Cocaine In Sephora Package 

    The woman also found a picture and an ID alongside the cocaine and a rolled-up dollar bill inside the package. 

    A New Jersey-based professional makeup artist got more than she bargained for in a shipment of cosmetics from Sephora earlier this month.

    Inside The Mystery Box

    Among her foundation and false eyelashes, 30-year-old Christina Milano found a “good amount” of white powder wrapped in a dollar bill along with a small straw cut for snorting the substance, plus a female Sephora employee’s company ID. There was also a forklift operator’s card and a photo of a young girl in another part of the package.

    How these items ended up in Milano’s package is unclear, but the makeup artist was able to identify the powder as cocaine.

    “I’ve seen it and I’ve been offered it in the past,” she told the New York Post. 

    She became fairly upset when she realized what she had due to the high penalties associated with shipping illicit drugs through the mail. 

    “I could have gotten in trouble for this,” she said to local New York news affiliate PIX11. “What if there was a random check at the post office?”

    $100 Store Credit For Her Troubles

    Milano quickly took photos of what she discovered and sent them to Sephora, including of the white powder. After she was assured that she would be contacted after the company’s investigation, she was informed that the Sephora had credited $100 to her account and asked her to dispose of the “foreign items.”

    The makeup artist was unsatisfied with this response.

    “It was kind of like, here’s $100, like, you know, don’t talk about it,” she said, saying the idea made her angry. So she went to the press, who investigated further.

    Getting To The Bottom Of It

    A Post reporter was able to use the information and photos provided by Milano to track down an address associated with the woman whose name was on the company ID.

    However, the owner of the house said that the Sephora employee was her sister and that she no longer lived there.

    “She’s on the grid, off the grid. She’s always changing her phone number,” the sister said. “She lived here that one time, but I haven’t spoken to her in a month. And even then it was only for 15 minutes.”

    She confirmed that the Sephora employee had a history of drug use, but according to the report, declined to give further details.

    Sephora, of course, has a zero-tolerance policy around employees using illicit drugs, particularly while at work. Milano, though not entirely pleased with how the cosmetics company handled the situation, says she remains loyal to them.

    “I would still love a more personal apology from them but truly I still will shop at Sephora,” she admitted. “I love them.”

    Sephora provided a statement to Newsweek about the incident.

    “We have investigated the matter and taken appropriate actions,” it read. “Sephora prides itself on our delivery and supply chain experiences and have a zero-tolerance policy around illegal substances in the workplace. We have apologized to the impacted client for this unfortunate experience and are working with her directly to resolve it.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Former Juul Exec Accuses Company Of Selling Contaminated Vape Liquid Refills

    Former Juul Exec Accuses Company Of Selling Contaminated Vape Liquid Refills

    According to the suit, 250,000 tainted contaminated vape liquid refills, which contained a million vape pods, were shipped to retailers last March.

    A lawsuit filed by Siddharth Breja, Juul’s former senior vice president of global finance, alleges that the e-cigarette company knowingly sold contaminated vape liquid refills to customers and that he was fired when he expressed concern about the harm this could cause to the public.

    Contaminated Vape Liquid Refills

    According to the suit, 250,000 tainted “Mint Refill Kits,” which contained a million individual vape pods, were shipped to retailers in March 2019. When Juul discovered the issue, the company decided not to issue a recall or warn customers of the potential danger.

    March was around the time that cases of mysterious lung injuries that seemed to be connected to vaping began to appear across the US. So far, the data suggests that the majority of these cases are connected to black market THC oil products rather than nicotine-based products such as the ones sold by Juul.

    However, the timing for the industry-dominant company couldn’t be worse. It was also around the time that reports of young people having seizures after using Juul products cropped up.

    “Half Our Customers Are Drunk And Vaping Like Mo-Fo’s”

    According to Breja, the actions (or lack thereof) by Juul were taken out of greed in a toxic work environment that was all about profits. He says that when he expressed concern about the company selling expired or nearly expired products, ex-CEO Kevin Burns did not show much respect or compassion for his customers.

    “Half our customers are drunk and vaping like mo-fo’s,” Burns stated according to the suit, “who the f**k is going to notice the quality of our pods.”

    Burns, who stepped down in September, is also accused of frequently berating his employees, such as when the company’s decision to remove their fruity flavors from retail shelves led to a supply shortage.

    Juul released a statement on Wednesday (Sept. 25) saying that it will not fight a federal ban on flavored vaping products and that it will stop advertising its products immediately. In addition, CEO Kevin Burns is stepping down and will be replaced by K.C. Crosthwaite, former chief growth officer at Altria Group Inc.

    In the statement, the company said that it has already taken steps to combat underage use of its products:

    “JUUL Labs has strongly advocated for Tobacco 21 (T21) laws, stopped the sale of non-tobacco and non-menthol-based flavored JUULpods to all of its traditional retail store partners, enhanced its online age verification, discontinued its U.S.-based Facebook and Instagram accounts and works to remove inappropriate social media content generated by others on those platforms. The company also intensified efforts to combat illegal and potentially dangerous counterfeit and compatible products. Most recently, JUUL Labs started deploying technology at retail stores that automatically restricts the sale of JUUL products until a government-issued ID is electronically scanned to verify age and ID validity, exceeding the standards in place for other tobacco products and alcohol.”

    “You need to have an IQ of 5 to know that when customers don’t find mango they buy mint,” he said to the supply-chain team.

    Breja is suing Juul for wrongful termination and retaliating against whistleblowing, among other charges. The suit was filed on Tuesday in the US District Court for the Northern District of California.

    A Juul spokesperson provided a statement denying the allegations to Ars Technica.

    “Mr. Breja’s claims are baseless,” it reads. “He was terminated in March 2019 because he failed to demonstrate the leadership qualities needed in his role. The allegations concerning safety issues with Juul products are equally meritless, and we already investigated the underlying manufacturing issue and determined the product met all applicable specifications.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Ben Affleck Addresses Recent Relapse, Says It Won't "Derail Him"

    Ben Affleck Addresses Recent Relapse, Says It Won't "Derail Him"

    Affleck was spotted imbibing at a Halloween party this past weekend. 

    Actor Ben Affleck, who has struggled with alcohol addiction since the mid-1990s, looked to be inebriated after a Hollywood Halloween party on Saturday, according to video obtained by TMZ.

    The video shows him stumbling a bit after posing for a photo, then nearly falling backward and grabbing an idle SUV for support. He then carefully gets into his own vehicle as the cameraman asks him how he’s been.

    Talking To The Paps

    The next day, Affleck was seen looking no worse for wear and admitted on camera that he had “slipped” but that he’s not going to let that stop him.

    “It happens. It was a slip but I’m not going to let it derail me,” Affleck told paparazzi. “Thank you very much, guys.”

    According to a “friend” who spoke to People, the actor has acknowledged that his recovery is not going to be a perfect journey.

    “Sobriety is difficult and elusive for everyone struggling with addiction,” the source said. “Ben has acknowledged he’s going to slip up from time to time. It was never as if this was simply behind him.”

    The Midnight Mission

    Earlier Saturday, Affleck posted on his Instagram promoting The Midnight Mission, a non-profit organization that helps people experiencing homelessness with services like job training, housing, and addiction treatment.

    In his post, the actor mentioned being sober for over a year and announced that he would be donating to the non-profit while encouraging his followers to do the same.

    “I have been in recovery for over a year and part of that is helping out others,” he wrote. “@themidnightmission is an incredible organization that helps those in need with housing, training, development and recovery. I’m making a donation today because there are people battling addiction every day that don’t have the resources and need help.”

    His Third Rehab Stay

    Affleck was most recently in rehab for his issues with alcohol from late August to early October 2018, which was his third time staying in a facility for addiction treatment. After his 40-day program last year, he posted a statement to his fans explaining that treating an addiction disorder is a lifetime journey.

    “Battling any addiction is a lifelong and difficult struggle,” he said. “Because of that, one is never really in or out of treatment. It is full-time commitment. I am fighting for myself and my family.”

    This July, Affleck credited the treatment center Refuge Recovery for his progress and health in a defense of founder Noah Levine, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple individuals.

    “Working with Noah and his Refuge Recovery program has, quite literally, turned my life around,” said Affleck. “Today I am sober, happy, healthy and have custody of my three children. All of those things are a result of having Noah in my life.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Psilocybin Trial Patients Describe Their "Trips" To Anderson Cooper

    Psilocybin Trial Patients Describe Their "Trips" To Anderson Cooper

    One of the trial’s participants quit smoking after 46 years. 

    In a recent 60 Minutes segment, Anderson Cooper interviewed multiple subjects of research trials exploring the effects of psilocybin on people living with depression, anxiety or addiction.

    Trials are ramping up after decades of total bans on any scientific research into psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin (“magic mushrooms”) and LSD. Many participants who have been put through six-hour experiences with psilocybin found them to be life-changing.

    “They come to a profound shift of world view,” says researcher Roland Griffiths, “and essentially, a shift in sense of self.”

    Cooper interviewed two trial participants who had been struggling with addiction for many years, having had no success with other quitting techniques and products. After one intense session with the psychedelic drug, they haven’t touched the substances that were troubling them since.

    46-Year Smoker Quits After “Bad Trip”

    Carine McLaughlin, a smoker for 46 years, was able to quit after having a “bad trip,” an experience that produced primarily negative or distressing emotions.

    “The ceiling of this room were clouds, like, heavy rain clouds,” McLaughlin recalled of her session. “And gradually they were lowering. And I thought I was gonna suffocate from the clouds.”

    Jon Kostakopoulos, meanwhile, was up to 20 drinks a night before his session, which brought up old memories and deep feelings.

    “I felt, you know, a lot of shame and embarrassment throughout one of the sessions about my drinking and how bad I felt for my parents to put up with all this,” he said. He hasn’t had a drink since that day in 2016. He hasn’t even been tempted, he said.

    “Not at all, which is the craziest thing because that was my favorite thing to do,” he told Cooper.

    Researcher Griffiths and his colleague Matthew Johnson have been working on their research since 2000, when the Nixon-era ban on psychedelics in scientific trials was lifted. Before the ban, similar trials were conducted with LSD in the 1950s and ’60s. 

    How It Works

    Today, Griffiths and Johnson are careful to weed out patients with psychotic disorders and family histories of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and all trial participants are put through “weeks of intensive counseling before and after” the experience. After finally being given the dose of psilocybin, they lie on a couch with a blindfold and headphones playing “a mix of choral and classical music” while a guide watches over them.

    Results have been very promising, with the majority of the 51 terminal cancer patients who have been through the trial enjoying “significant decreases in depressed mood and anxiety” from the treatment.

    “It seemed so implausible to me that a single experience caused by a molecule, right, ingested in your body could transform your outlook on something as profound as death,” said How To Change Your Mind author Michael Pollan. “That’s kind of amazing.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Four States Propose $48 Billion Settlement In Global Opioid Lawsuit

    Four States Propose $48 Billion Settlement In Global Opioid Lawsuit

    The $48 billion offer is still a far cry from the estimated $504 billion in damages caused to the country in 2015 alone.

    The attorneys general of four U.S. states have proposed a $48 billion settlement between some of the world’s biggest drug companies and states, tribes and nearly 3,000 cities and counties across the nation at what could be the peak of the opioid epidemic. 

    The offer comes shortly after what would have been the first federal opioid trial was averted by a $250 million settlement between Cardinal Health, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen and two counties in Ohio.

    The global settlement deal was proposed by two Democratic and two Republican attorneys general of North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Tennessee. According to NBC News, the foursome has not yet announced whether any other states are on board with their plan.

    Is $48 Billion Enough?

    However, a lawyer representing the cities and counties involved in the global suit, Paul Hanly, believes that this number is not high enough for his clients. It’s likely that negotiations will continue for another three to six months, he said.

    “This is the most complex negotiation in the history of litigation,” said Hanley.

    Last week, Hanley’s clients rejected an offer of $18 billion over the course of 18 years after it was found that New York City would have only received as little as $5 million per year from the deal, a small fraction of the $500 million per year it has spent to combat the opioid crisis. The same issue applied to other cities.

    The $48 billion offer is still a far cry from the estimated $504 billion in damages caused to the country in just the year 2015.

    Funds Would Be Delivered Over 10-Year Period

    The settlement would also be split between cash payments and services and supplies. The deal proposed for the global case would offer over $22 billion in cash as well as $26 billion in treatment drugs and delivery services, all of which would be delivered over the course of 10 years. 

    In Ohio, drug distributors Cardinal Health, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen paid $215 million to Summit and Cuyahoga counties, while generic opioid maker Teva Pharmaceutical paid $20 million in cash and provided $25 million worth of Suboxone, a common opioid addiction treatment drug. The cash payments will also go toward treatment efforts.

    “We are looking at using this money for treatment,” said Cuyahoga County prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley. “It’s about rehabilitation and getting people straight.”

    Meanwhile, Walgreens Boots Alliance, another defendant in the Ohio case, has not yet announced its settlement with the plaintiffs. Purdue Pharma, whose name is often evoked when it comes to the opioid crisis, was also a target of these lawsuits but filed for bankruptcy in September.

    All companies involved have denied the allegations that they’re responsible for the opioid epidemic, but the three who settled last week released a joint statement saying that the deal is “an important stepping stone to achieving a global resolution and delivering meaningful relief.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Apple Watch Study Raises Questions About Exercise Addiction

    Apple Watch Study Raises Questions About Exercise Addiction

    Participants in an Apple Watch study worry that the tech could bring out an “obsessive tendency” in its wearers.

    A Duke University study that provides select students with free Apple Watches to monitor their health and wellness habits has some questioning whether the use of these and similar devices could have unintended consequences.

    Duke student Naima Turbes—who previously found herself addicted to fulfilling step goals set by devices like the Apple Watch—talked to fellow students who participated in the study about how the technology has impacted their health and their lives.

    The three-year WearDuke project was announced in November 2018. All first-year students of 2019 were offered the wearable devices as part of a study conducted by Professor of Medicine Geoff Ginsburg and Associate Professor of Medicine Susanne Haga. The researchers were interested in collecting data on students’ sleep habits, diet, and other aspects of personal health.

    The Sleep Factor

    “We will initially be focusing on sleep because sleep is very well documented [as something] college students don’t get enough of,” said Haga. “And it’s important to health, mental well-being and academic performance.”

    The idea is to promote better health awareness and, in a later study, offer advice on improving personal habits. However, early interviews with participating students suggest that awareness of bad habits may not be as helpful as they hoped.

    “As a [first-year], I am just trying to get used to having a different schedule than in high school,” said Duke freshman Ian Acriche. “I have the same bad sleep habits, but now my Apple watch just reminds me of them.”

    “I have not changed my actions, but I am more cognizant of how much sleep I am getting at night,” said Kelyce Allen, another first-year.

    Obsessing Over Diet & Exercise

    Turbes fears that the watches may end up promoting obsessiveness over one’s health, particularly as the study shifts focus from sleep to diet and exercise.

    “What if the study lights an obsessive tendency in a student that could have been avoided?” Turbes writes. “Hearing people talk about increasing exercise for a watch reminds me of dark moments walking around my backyard to hit an arbitrary step goal. I would not wish that on anyone.”

    Other students she spoke with said that they checked their watch for the time, notifications, and heart rate up to 20 times per day.

    Exercise addiction has been studied and discussed for several years, sometimes in connection with eating disorders, though it is not listed in the current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

    A 2017 study published in the British Medical Journal estimated that 0.3% to 0.5% of the global population experience symptoms of exercise addiction.

    “We tend to—rightfully so—think of exercise as a really positive thing we need to be doing, and most of us don’t exercise enough and aren’t getting a hold of the health-related benefits of exercise,” said lead study author Heather Hausenblas. “But like with any behavior, we can take it to an extreme.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Could Federal Legalization Solve The THC Vaping Illness Outbreak?

    Could Federal Legalization Solve The THC Vaping Illness Outbreak?

    Experts are starting to think that legalization may be the only way to find out the cause of the illnesses once and for all.

    Experts are increasingly looking toward federal decriminalization as a solution to the outbreak of severe lung illness and death across the U.S., according to a report by Vox.

    Close to 1,500 people have become ill and at least 33 have died from the mysterious illness, which began to suddenly crop up in March. As researchers look into the source of the problem, evidence has begun arising that most of these cases involve illicit, black market THC oil cartridges.

    Both national and statewide data have consistently shown that a strong majority of the patients of this lung illness had recently used a THC vaping product. The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that 78% of the reporting patients had used these products in the past while 92% of individuals from a similar survey in Utah had done so before getting sick.

    Because the THC vape market has largely shifted from relying on dried flower to oils, most of the patients who had vaped cannabis had done so with the oil form of the substance. 

    From Dried Herb To Processed Oils

    “What’s changed is that people used to vape dried herb and now you have more vaping of pre-processed manufactured oils, which involve different ingredients,” said University of Waterloo in Ontario public health researcher David Hammond.

    At the same time, data is showing that the majority of these products were obtained outside of legal sale. Most of them were “acquired from informal sources such as friends or illicit in-person and online dealers,” according to the CDC, and a New York Department of Health study found that the “vast majority” of their lung illness cases could be traced back to black market cartridges.

    Regulators Need To Catch Up

    THC products are often being developed faster than regulations can keep up with them, and authorities are having a hard time getting a handle on the black market that is likely responsible for the lung illnesses that have sickened so many.

    “Federal agencies exert little oversight, and regulation is left to a patchwork of inadequate state agencies,” said former FDA commissioner FDA Scott Gottlieb for the Wall Street Journal. “The weak state bodies sanction the adoption of unsafe practices such as vaping concentrates, while allowing an illegal market in cannabis to flourish.”

    With all this information coming together, experts are beginning to conclude that the most effective and reasonable path remaining is full federal cannabis legalization.

    “What federal legalization would do is allow for a more uniform and predictable and clear set of rules that would draw on the experience and expertise of the federal agencies in regulating consumer markets,” said Northwestern University professor Leo Beletsky.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Artie Lange Speaks On Addiction, Legal Troubles In Comeback Tour

    Artie Lange Speaks On Addiction, Legal Troubles In Comeback Tour

    In the opening show, Lange touched on past relationships, Todd Bridges, and having a brand of heroin named after him.

    Comedian Artie Lange is on a stand-up comeback tour after completing rehab and being released in September. During a recent show, he opened up about some of his past experiences with drugs and got real when it came to the addiction disorder that has dogged him for decades.

    Lange posted on his Twitter account on September 10 announcing that he was back home and feeling good.

    “Great to be home!” he wrote. “7 months 14 days sober but one day at a time. Lots of new stories to tell. Will announce some new tour dates on Friday. Thanks for the support. Love you all.”

    The First Stop Of The Tour

    Radar Online outlined the most notable moments from the first show of Lange’s tour on October 18, in which the former Howard Stern Show co-host touched on his past relationships, life in prison, and how drugs have affected his life.

    “I had three fiancées who left me because of heroin. Heroin saved me a lot of money,” Lange joked. “Divorce would’ve been way more expensive than the drugs.”

    Lange was in a relationship with Dana Cironi from 2002 to 2006 and was with Adrienne Ockrymiek from 2009 to 2014.

    He also joked about his former use of crack cocaine and “burning bridges.”

    “I burned all the bridges you can burn in show business, that’s why I’m in Bridgeport. I was in the crack house recently, I was trying to light a crack pipe and I burned Todd Bridges.”

    A fellow actor, Bridges struggled with addiction to crack in his 20s. He entered rehab in 1992 and has been sober ever since.

    They Named Heroin After Him

    Later, Lange treated audiences to a story about being sold a bag of heroin that was named after him.

    “Here’s the f—ked up thing, on the marquee where I was performing, they had my name spelled wrong. On the bag, it was spelled perfectly!” he said. As funny as it might have been, Lange didn’t feel all that good about the way he was being admired. “My name was on poison dude. Kids are taking this… I guess I am a famous scumbag!”

    At the end of the show, Lange got serious, advising his audience to avoid the difficult life that he’s had to struggle through thanks largely to addiction while also showing his appreciation to the fans who have stuck with him through the bad times.

    “The fact that you guys come out on a Friday to support me means everything to me. Tell your kids to never touch drugs.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Rachel Maddow On Cyclical Depression: "You Sort Of Disappear"

    Rachel Maddow On Cyclical Depression: "You Sort Of Disappear"

    “I still can’t tell when I’m depressed because part of depression is not being able to have emotional cognizance.”

    MSNBC host Rachel Maddow opened up about her long-term struggles with depression, how it affects her, and what helps her get through it in an interview with comedian Marc Maron on his biweekly podcast, WTF With Marc Maron. 

    Maddow described her experience with the mental illness as cyclical, hitting her for a few days at a time every few weeks.

    “And when it happens, I sort of lose the will to live,” she said. “Nothing has any meaning.”

    This has been going on more or less since she was 10 years old. Though Maddow has trouble recognizing it in the moment, her partner Susan Mikula has learned how to spot it and has been crucial in Maddow’s ability to get through each episode.

    Finding Ways to Cope

    “Even after living with it for 36 years, I still can’t tell when I’m depressed because part of depression is not being able to have emotional cognizance,” she explained. “Having a partner who can tell me that’s what’s going on, even if I can’t emotionally process it, like I can’t hear it, it can remind me to make sure you exercise, make sure you sleep, make sure you don’t do anything dumb.”

    Exercise is one of the main ways that Maddow combats her depression, which she does without the benefit of medication. She has also increasingly been using prayer to the point that she now considers herself to be religious.

    “The act of stopping what your brain is otherwise going to do to do a deliberate thing which is based around giving thanks, I think is a reset that’s like a psychic pause, but I also think it helps you get your head on straight.”

    She also experiences periods of mania, though she says that these episodes have lessened in frequency: “It’s like one-sixth of what it used to be.”

    You Just Don’t Connect with Anything — You Sort Of Disappear

    Maddow has spoken on her depression in interviews in the past. In 2012, she spoke with Terri Gross of NPR on the subject and how it relates to her struggles with imposter syndrome.

    “People are going to realize that I’m a great fraud and it’ll end, so I better make sure this is a good show because it’ll be my last,” she admitted. “Part of me feels that way every day.”

    After so many years, however, the renowned political commentator has become used to the ups and downs, scheduling her life around it when she can tell it’s coming on and powering through her difficulty focusing when she has to. Her experience has also allowed her to come up with an unusual, yet accurate, metaphor for depression.

    “And you know, when you are depressed, it’s like the rest of the world is the mothership and you’re out there on a little pod and your line gets cut, and you just don’t connect with anything, you sort of—you sort of disappear.”

    View the original article at thefix.com