Maria Bamford’s Former Psychiatrist Googled Her During A Session | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend
so you've been diagnosed with bipolar II. yes which is the that's the the the. easier sort of bipolar from what I might. have heard no so you've had a. competitive conversation with someone. who's bipolar one yes oh bipolar too. well that must be a nice holiday so. you've never had psychosis I was told to. Murder by my dog. um so uh and you've been in several. psych warts you talk about that in the. book just two different ones Glendale.
Adventist psychiatric Medical Center I. was in uh West psych West. um and then uh I was at the last encinas. still in business do not recommend it uh. uh you just gave them a bad Yelp review. well no no I never give bad reviews I. always feel like everyone's having a. hard enough time oh well here's the. thing the psychiatrist there who has. since retired uh he when I went in. because yeah I got to see a psychiatrist.
which is amazing and he not only uh he. Googled me during the session but then. played some of my ACT back to me and. said oh you're pretty funny. unless I say I'm Richard Pryor you know. like and wait until I've left you know. if if I'm having some sort of uh. experience where I think I'm somebody. else somebody just assume well maybe. she's a comedian like like maybe she's.
like because I think I I said I was mean. which is always a terrible idea uh to. say in a uh Hospital circumstance but I. uh isn't the first thing you get tell me. a joke. oh yes. or wherever seen you or. or all jobs have that sort of thing you. know uh I know I've heard people say if. you know I'm an administrative assistant. oh. like you know sometimes you don't get. any questions right and you have a lot. to say. so when you.
go to these places. and you're in that state. are you ever. thinking about comedy or looking around. and thinking. no no no no. I mean if you're having a. emergency event for any sort of whether. that's a physical or a mental uh issue. you're not yeah no no you're in a. completely altered state yeah just uh. yeah no I wanted to I wanted to die I.
was not feeling good yes so no it's like. something's broken or hey you don't go. you know this pain. I know somebody take notes on this I. mean maybe you are uh I worry that I. would but I'm I'm deeply like how could. I use this but I the pain you're. describing to be honest with you is a. pain I have not felt right so I cannot. relate yeah I hadn't and I hadn't felt. that either I don't think I had felt uh.
that. uh you know of just like your brain I. wasn't there I wasn't there and that. feeling of like oh I there's no me here. and. um. yeah I just did not like every moment. was excruciating I was so grateful when. they came around with the meds I was. just like oh my God knock me out with a. uh a hammer and um they don't do that. anymore that was the 60s.
um but that yeah that ended with the. Three Stooges. but that was really nice like um. Jonathan Winters he I I got to talk. darling Winters obviously and we have. younger listeners but Jonathan Winters. was if you asked anybody. from about I want to say 1958. you know for decades after that who's. the funniest person in the world I think. maybe. seven out of 10 times you you might hear. Jonathan Winters he was absolutely.
hilarious he'd go on The Tonight Show he. was in movies he was just he was he was. so funny take the air out of the room. and uh he had. what a lot of people didn't know is that. he had I think flown bombing missions in. World War II and had seen a lot of. horrible things and then uh had terrible. problems with depression and I think uh. had to uh you know either go away or be. be taken away at times so he was someone.
who I that's so cool I mean I never got. the chance. to meet Jonathan Winters which is a. regret of mine I saw him in a hotel. lobby once and I was too intimidated to. go up to him and this is when I was on. TV but I just thought well he doesn't. want to talk to me but I I wish I had. talked to him but but. um he was someone who like you really. knew a comedian who was breathtakingly. funny but also knew this crazy deep yeah.
and he had had I think a few psychotic. episodes and in the 60s I think they. would just uh everyone was just there. was just a big jar of allium and then. they would they just numb me out and he. was there for months. um but my friend. um. yeah my a friend who's friends of his. and I was so out of it I was just like. he's like I'm calling Jonathan he'll. tell you it's gonna be okay and I'm like. okay oh God. I could barely talk but he was like you.
have a good shrink I said well yeah. you know just keep going all I can do is. keep going which is really the only. advice anyone can give you uh. Depression era World War II fighter. pilot keep going yes which sometimes is. the right advice to get like pull. yourself together and keep going well. and I think that the experience of uh. like a suicidal depression really has. given me empathy for people in my life.
who have committed suicide uh I think. there's uh there's tremendous guilt but. also sometimes people are angry at. people who committed suicide and. um that you just don't know the level of. suffering someone has experienced and uh. anyways I don't know why I'm laughing. that's inappropriate. that makes you kind of a monster I think. ouch. is not the appropriate response to me. calling you a monster.
Hitler you're a monster. ouch. Stalin you're Satan now oh hell spicy. [Laughter].
