From Deseret News archives:
Astin candid about illness
Instead, many want to discuss his very public mother, Patty Duke, and her very public battle with bipolar disorder.
From a clerk at an airport gift shop to a makeup artist hired for a series of appearances in Salt Lake City, they say they have been affected in some way by the mental illness.
"Everywhere I go, people say that they've been touched by it," the 35-year-old Astin said, stopping in Utah as part of a public-awareness campaign about bipolar disorder, also called manic depression. "People are whispering less about it."
Astin spoke candidly Wednesday about life with Duke, who began having symptoms when she was in her late teens and early 20s.
"Our life was intensely impacted by her mood swings," he said.
Astin's family which included his father, John Astin, famous for his role as Gomez on "The Addams Family" TV series, a younger brother and three older half brothers called Duke's manic episodes "freak-outs." During these times, Astin said, his mother would scream, yell, throw and break things. Once, he remembered, she purposely drove her car into the front of the garage.
According to the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, bipolar disorder affects 2.3 million adult Americans, about 1.2 percent of the nation's population. Sheri Wittwer, executive director of NAMI UTAH, praised the work that Astin and Duke have done to raise the level of awareness about bipolar disorder, a brain disorder that causes extreme shifts in mood, energy and functioning.
"We always appreciate when we have celebrities who are willing to put a name and a face to these illnesses," Wittwer said. "To show that you can live a very successful, productive life and have a mental illness. It's a part of your life, but instead of seeing the illness, we see people who are overcoming challenges and who are accomplishing tremendous things."
The campaign is sponsored by AstraZeneca, a pharmaceutical company that makes Seroquel, a drug used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Still, Astin said, it was important to him that the campaign be about overall awareness rather than any particular drug.
"I've really looked with a critical eye in terms of how this awareness campaign was being approached," he said.
Comments
- Downtown plans three-day ""Eve"" 3:44 p.m.
- Small-business conditions improve 3:41 p.m.
- Pair arrested in Provo burglary 3:36 p.m.
- Summit Co. appoints first manager 3:24 p.m.
- Man sentenced to 7 years in death 3:21 p.m.
- Senate Dems at odds over insurance 3:20 p.m.
- U.S.: $3B to end tribe royalty dispute 3:09 p.m.
- Police seek missing WVC woman 3:06 p.m.
- Prison pop. growth slows in 2008 3:05 p.m.
- Election 'liberating' for gay bishop 2:58 p.m.
- BYU football: Bronco weighs in on Hall
- Yet again, we learn BCS is a big joke
- Witness: Mitchell stalked victims
- Williams' late jumper tops Spurs
- Storm pounds Utah for 2nd day
- Cougars in better mood about bowl
- Ranking the bowl games
- $2M error could mean layoffs
- Andersen apologizes for Jordan hoax
- BCS reform still needed
- Y. profs: Beck not all-knowing
273 - TCU to play Boise in Fiesta Bowl
203 - Letters: Global warming a lie
199 - Cougars going back to Vegas
147 - BYU football: Bronco weighs in on Hall
143 - Utah/BYU rivalry can be more civil
141 - George lost in rivalry hatefest
119 - Ed Smart 'appalled' at testimony
101 - Harpring's NBA career is over
98 - Store planning for Palin crush
86
For the latest news in the health care debate and how it affects you...
Amazon.com, Target.com, Sears.com, Walmart.com, Kmart.com and...
I'm stoked about this weather!! Let it snow and let it snow hard!! This 4...
I'm all for reducing our oil dependence. I'm all for cleaning up pollution...
West side hoop fan west Jordan cheetahs will be put to sleep tonight by with...
errrrr Mr. Bryant Anderson. Give us your real identity . . . sitting by your...
You never question the motives of your news sources that are very carefull to...
hey jack Fids, We live in a Representative Republic, not a true Democracy....
Which high school did you NOT graduate from? You have been reading between...
How about we tax the legislature every time they think about raising taxes....
Does he understand that what he did was illegal? Can he understand what's...
"The US has been responsible for phenomenal good in the world. But not in our...



You can be the first to comment on this story.