Documentary & Arts:
Bye, Bye Happiness

 
 Sat 19 Feb at 20:00 on BBC Three
Sun 20 Feb at 03:05 on BBC Three
 

 It is amazing to think that 1 in 5 people will be affected by depression at some point in their life. Yet there are still popular misconceptions about what depression means, who is affected by it, why people become depressed and how it manifests itself.

 
 Bye, Bye Happiness is a film by acclaimed producer and director Oli Barry (The Nine Lives of Alice Martineau) that shows in a unique way what it is actually like to experience depression. It explores how depression causes emotional and physical isolation that can lead to anxiety, agoraphobia and other nervous disorders.

It tackles the taboo subject of what motivates someone to self-harm, looks at the extreme behavioural patterns of someone suffering from a compulsive disorder and gives insight into the experiences of a new mother with postnatal depression.

The programme depicts a fictional day as seen through the eyes of four people each suffering from different experiences of depression, who individually give an honest account of their illness.

 
 The stories
Andrew: a charming and outgoing businessman and art enthusiast who becomes too frightened to leave the house, or even answer the phone, when three months of debilitating depression sets in. 

Sian: despite being President of the Student Union, captain of the womens' rugby team and fervent party goer, her feelings of self-loathing drive her to cover mirrors in the house and self-harm.

Liz: an outgoing 30-something who suffers from manic depression. Some days are very, very good and other days are very, very bad, but the anxiety manifests itself in whatever obsessive patterns she is practicing at the time.

Nikki: a classic example of a new mother with postnatal depression which leads to anxiety about herself, her role in the family and her husbands feelings towards herself.

 
 The credits
The programme has a humorous approach to the issues involved by illustrating people’s thoughts and feelings in a more surreal manner. There is even a song and dance number to conclude.

Bye, Bye Happiness is a Talkback Production for BBC Three.

Director - Oli Barry
Producer - Paula Campion
Executive producer - Jerry Foulkes.

 
