Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)

MAURICE BENARD UNCENSORED



On Emmy day, General Hospital's Maurice Benard (Sonny) stood alone on a stage and gave the finest performance of his life. The actor was speaking from the heart, describing his life as a manic depressive. As hundreds of guests sat spellbound, in the ballroom of the L.A.'s Regency Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Benard recounted the day that he was committed to a mental institution. "I was put in a seclusion room, which was like something out of 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest,'" he quietly described.

"The seclusion room is a room with four walls, a bed in the middle and a window. They tie you down, from your wrists to your waist and your ankles. All I wanted to do was get out. I remember praying to God, asking Him, why is He putting me through this torture? Somewhere deep inside, I knew there was a reason, and it was the only thing that kept me going. As I stand here now, I can honestly say to you, I know the reason." Benard then accepted an award, presented to him by Annette Bening, that honored his tireless efforts educating the public about mental illness.

The Annual Erasing The Stigma Leadership Awards were established by the Didi Hirsch Community Health Center six years ago. Along with Benard, veteran actor Rod Steiger and writer/actress Carrie Fisher also received Leadership awards. After the ceremony, Benard and his wife Paula sat down to talk with Update.

"People go through life, trying to find the meaning or purpose," Bneard shares. "For me, besides acting, this is what I was meant to do. But this is bigger than acting for me, because it can help other people, change their lives, and even save their lives. So I'm very proud to be a part of this."

Benard also praised Bening. "It was an honor to be there with her. The speech she gave moved me. It was beautiful."

Did Benard prepare what he said to the audience? "I just get up there and I let it flow," he answers. "I tell my story as it was. Sometimes, I don't know what happens, but it can get very emotional."

Benard has expressed a desire to see GH explore the story of a manic depressive told through his character Sonny. "My wife doesn't want me to do it," he admits. "But if they could propose a great story, similar to the AIDS storyline with Stone and Robin, where it's told with 100% truthfulness and we could kick butt and rock the house with it, I would do it. But I'd have to know exactly where they'd want to go with the story. I'm a big fan of Bob Guza (co-headwriter, GH), and if anybody can do it, I think he can."

"I believe Bob would write an incredible story," Paula concurs. "The only reason I don't want Maurice to do it is because of the type of actor he is. He'd be fine doing it, so there's no fear of that. But I wouldn't like him to go to that place. It would be really, really difficult for me to watch."

"I'd embrace it," Benard says, "but I've got to be honest with you--it would be a little scary."

Recalling his early struggle, Benard says, "When I was younger, even though the signs were there, nobody knew anything about manic depression. I was always drinking and quick to fight, so there was a lot going on. But I was 22 years old when people figured out that something was really not right."

"It took two nervous breakdowns that Maurice had, while I was with him, before I was able to understand the signs," Paula offers. "Even then, it was very subtle. It wasn't like anything major happened, until it happened."

"We've been through hell and back, so nothing can penetrate us," Benard says of his marriage. "There's nothing to hide between us. We're very comfortable and we trust each other. We're strong together."

 

You can read all about Maurice Benard's bipolar disease here:

http://www.mauricebenard.tv/galleryframeset.html

 

Thanks, WY! I admire the man for being so honest and willing to show his demons.

Heymom

 

Heymom

OK, so you REALLY are a thread killer. :bowdown: I thought you were just be'in cute with that. We went from phycosis to HUNKS !!! hehe! Love ya! He a real cutie, :banme: I had to put a new keyboard on too, mine had druel on it AND the floor.... :beats:

 

I watched GH for years ( I stopped watching it 4-5 years ago) and I fell in love with Sonny. WY,thanks for the pics and the memories. Now I need a paper towel to wipe the drool off my keyboard.

(A side note, the year Maurice gave his speech at the Daytime Emmy Awards about his bi-polarism, was the day that my husband was diagnosed with bi-polar disease.)

 

Hey...where is everyone?

I'm here looking at stuff as usual, but I think everyone else is alseep or in bed after that GH photo shoot...hehehe! My Hubbie is a midnight, steady, I miss him. So I am bored silly, here to co-op with the forum friends. Well, have a nice evening, write if you want to work the case! I love a new thread! I'll be look'in for a while here. My new keyboard is working just fine.........

 

Insight, we all went to bed! About the signature...I was looking at the threads one day, and it seemed as though many of them had a final post by me, and then nothing else. I thought, "Well, either I like to have the last word, or after I post, no one wants to add anything!" So I made up my signature for that.

Have a good morning. We just went off on a sort of side topic, b/c "Sonny" is bi-polar. At least we get some hunky photos out of the deal!

Heymom

 

heymom

Got ya, I feel the same way, it seems noone writes after I do. It could be they don't like what I have to say, or I am boring or I am writing way to much, or I am up to late! Maybe all 4 reasons. LOL. Sometime soon, I think I will start another thread just to me and question and answer myself all night. HAHA! Maybe , If it's ok with you, I will add to my ID, "Second generation thread killer. " :shadow:

 

No, many people just respond sporadically, and I am also obsessed with this, and not a little bit addicted to the internet. I need to break my habit, though. It's getting a tad hard to justify my time here when I have a real life to attend to. It makes me so mad that JR and PR have gotten away with this horrendous act, but in the end, God will judge them and there will be no more lies to tell. God's already judged Patsy, so I hope she really did repent and ask for his forgiveness before she died. I have no idea if she could even be sincere.

Gotta run and get out in the sunshine a little bit! Sure you can use the "Thread Killer" if you want, I'll probably have something else next time!

Heymom

 

You think you're mad! If I could, I'd sue my temper for separate maintenance.

 

Hey, I have killed many a thread. Sometimes, though, people have just finished with that topic and are on to another. It's very hard to write on various topics at once with thoughtfulness, complete with backup sources. It's very time consuming and while we all have spurts when we are glued to the forum, like the Karr fiasco, we get burned out and also have real life and families who depend on us.

As for this thread, it's interesting. Right up until the hunky bipolar part. You lost me there. I don't know the actor and I'm a bit past drooling over hunks. Not that there's anything wrong with that.... I've just been freed AT LAST from the once a month hormone driven madness that made me wake up two weeks later going WHAT WAS I THINKING????!!!! :yow:

You know: for a couple of weeks, your hubby looks like filet mignon and you just can't adore him enough. :luv: Then, suddenly he's chopped meat and you want to grill him extra well done.... :steamed:

Now, he's fine wine: I save him for special occasions. :bateye:

 

I love it KK. I couldn't agree more....and I still have that once a month hormone driven madness (urghh!)...i can now see the guys on the forum heading for the hills......

 

Yeah, except they are talking about how the intruder was bipolar! (sorry, couldn't resist).


Thanks for this thread. It has a lot of things I have thought for a long time (but much more fleshed out).

 

It has been a good thread, hasn't it? I'm glad other folks have enjoyed it or learned from it. I have also learned, and thought about people in my life in new ways. Putting little puzzle pieces into place...

Heymom :heart:

 

Meetoo

Yes. Dito! :toast:

 

Patsy's favorite quotation (from Women's Magazine article dated April 1996 - thank you ACandyRose/magazine archives)

from author Edwin Markham:

"It is destiny which makes us brothers,
None goes by his way alone.
All that we send into the lives of others,
Comes back into our own."

 

Among Patsy's last words; There are some things in life you just can't take back.

 

Now why would she say a thing like that?

 

The quotation that Cranberry put up sounds like the "Wherever we go, whatever we do, we're gonna go through it together" theme that Patsy alluded to concerning her and her daughter. Whatever Patsy did to her daughter would come back into her life. This goes along with the use of people as objects, and the fusion of identity or boundary crossing typical of narcissists and psychotics.

Apparently, there are things you CAN take back and things you can't. Patsy came out of unconsciousness to reveal this, probably as the result of an inner dialogue in the near death dream state. Images of wholeness and completeness usually greet people in the near death state. Patsy's statement may show a lack of contrition as she speaks to Death with a defiant negative claim. Then again it could mean a last minute acceptance of the lesson of consequences for actions.

Either way, Patsy had a conflict she was working on up to the very last.

Destiny may be beyond our control. Even though we may try to change the course, the effort is futile and the consequences of those efforts cannot be "taken back".

 

Actually, I was being a smart-mouth, Paradox. I know why.