Dan & Phil Part 57: Pinky and the Brain

[Rigby]

I loved this video so much and it made me so happy when he said that he is better now. I really appreciate him sharing his journey and I love how he did it without romanticizing it, but also with the message that it will get better. And even the little tit bits of information we have about him really show how much better he is now and I'm so glad and so grateful.

Also the Phil parts were really cute and I guess we now know that Phil can make a great bubble bath.

I'm going to go rewatch this video and then cry, don't mind me. My heart is literally bursting with affection for Dan right now.

Came to say this. Had quite a shitty day (health issues) and this video made me cry a little bit, but it made me happy too.

Edit: oops, top of the page. Sorry I used it to say basically nothing

[George]

I haven't read what others have said, but what even was that video. Seeing a therapist, anti-depressants, exercising 7 hours in a week? I'm shocked how open and honest he was - this was definitely the closest to Dan I feel like we have ever get. And it's was for a great cause. His best video ever.

Also as someone who deals with different kind of problems than Dan (like - I'm sad for a reason, and have been for a way too long now), it still felt so important to hear him open up about this stuff and share his story. It gives perspective even when you don't deal with similar issues.

I'm still in shock, that was worth waiting for. It's 2.30 am but I don't care. This comment probably doesn't make any sense, but I don't care about that either.

One thing tho, I was (extra) shocked to hear him say he exercises 7 hours in a week. Like, I consider myself quite athletic, but that would be a lot even for me. I guess the does 2 hours at the time or something... Still a lot if you haven't really done anything before.

[sonicgreen]

I can't really articulate my thoughts- but as someone who has loved Dan for nearly 5 (?!) years it was incredible to see him comfortable enough to share this large bit of his life so candidly. I have so much respect and fondness for him and wow... I can't speak. Long story short: I'm proud. Maybe favorite dinof video to date?

[Ewok]

God, that video hit so close to home for me. As someone who has been struggling with depression for well over a decade... I really related to the way he said he felt. The numbness and the "nothing matters, why bother" attitude...
Not only have I been there countless times but I know so many others have as well. I think I just feel so proud of him for sharing something so deeply personal, and using his platform to inspire others to get help. It's damn difficult to talk about mental health struggles even just to close friends and family, so to see him sharing this message to millions - wow. I'm honestly just so inspired.
And I'm also just so proud and happy for him that he's doing better for himself. The path to recovery and healing is so fucking difficult. I'm really, really glad to hear he's been doing better.
God. I'm a blubbery emotional mess. I'm sure I'll have more coherent thoughts about this later, but for now I'm taking comfort in knowing I'm not alone, and that it does get better.

[confusedpanda]

Dan's video honestly, it's probably going to go into my top dan video of all times spot that I've just now made. He was so honest and personal about it, which is something we've never seen really. Also him talking about how he'd leave home and not tell anyone where he was alarmed me among other things ofc. I'm glad he's been seeing someone for over three years and according to a reply on twitter, he said he's gone though three and that maybe he'll talk about it one day. Therapy is so important (as I was writing this my own therapist texted me my appointment reminder for tomorrow, good timing), Talking about your problems is ok, and the fact that dan got this across makes me so happy. There's so much more I wanna say on this but my mind has went blank but I'm sure it was filled with more of me just saying it was great and how much I loved it.
Also random side note about the filming, great to see familiar things around the flat. I missed the gulid wars 2 stuff and the framed photo of dan and Phil in the kitchen was a lovely sight, even though we've never seen it before. And bloopers at the end were lovely as normal.

[bluntedclaws]

I agree with everyone else that this is an amazing video. So much of the time when he has talked about mental health he has done it in such a jokey way that no one knew how seriously to take him. He did a great job of keeping the tone light while making it clear that this has been a really huge issue for him. I know he mentioned recently that he was hesitant to make a video about mental health because he was worried that people would call him out as some kind of special snowflake attention seeker. I think that in partnering with young minds and putting the video out near World Mental Health day it becomes much more obviously about using his experience to help others which is really clever of him. That sounds cynical I know but I mean it in a tone of admiration rather than cynicism.

[ravenreyes]

okay first off, that video was so good, i loved it. idk something about it just made me feel kind of good (especially after a really shitty day) and i feel kind of proud?

i wasn't necessarily worried, but i wasn't sure how he was going to approach the subject.
and i feel like i have so many things i want to say but idk where to start. there were just a lot of things about it i really appreciated about it. like that it was more about his experience/general things about depression and that the video wasn't too joke-y but also kind of uplifting. i also really liked that he was honest about the fact that it isn't just something you get over and then everything is fine, but that there are times when things get bad again for a while. also the part about taking care of yourself in ways that can feel obvious in other situations (eating, sleeping, taking a shower and so on)

idk if i'm making sense, but as someone with a fair share of mental illness related problems i just really appreciate people talking honestly about the topic and especially things like therapy, medication and self care.


i haven't been around for a long time but i've been checking in more and more again recently and i have too many feelings to not comment right now lmao

[twix]

Also, I was so extra proud of Dan taking about his experience with meds. Even if the general stigma around MI is less today, I feel like the stigma around being medicated/talking about medication is still tremendous.

this is the part that shocked me too, and that he mentioned the trial-and-error aspect of dosing and the side effects. a lot of times when people narrativize depression, they choose to end with the decision to seek treatment, because what happens after that decision is sometimes demoralizing and always a lot of work that you'd rather do anything but.

i do have my criticisms of therapy wrt how it has played out in my own life, but i agree with dan that it, with a little distance, is a hilarious experience.

[liola]

I knew this video would resonate with me somehow but wasn't expecting to start crying halfway through and still crying now. It was so good, so candid and honest and I can't believe he not only shared his story but also talked about therapy and meds and made a point in showing that they're not forever some times because it's something that scares people quite a lot, me included.

And I love the subtle hints at Phil being one of the people helping without giving the spotlight away because at the end of the day, overcoming mental illness is his accomplishment and Dan's only.

I'm so proud of him. Mental health related videos always have a special place in my heart and this is no less. I also started crying again at Zoe's mention of it, for how stupid it sounds watching her in 2011 made me put a name to one of the issues that I was experiencing at the time and that I didn't have a name for, because anxiety wasn't talked about.

I'm not making any sense right now but just..So good. So so good. So proud of Dan for showing that even being successful you still need help and you can be proud of that.

[kindofatrashcan]

I'm finding really hard to found the words to describe this video. As almost everybody has said, I think that mental health is not taken as seriously as it should, and to see Dan being so respectful and honest about it is amazing. He shared his story and his struggles with his style of storytelling and humor but he didn't sacrifice the serious tone (i don't know if I'm making any sense)
I love that he's trying to destigmatize therapy, because i've been going to the therapist for the last six years (and without her i probably wouldn't have finished university) and even here, where therapy is very common (there are almost 200 psicologist every 100000 people, which is A LOT)a lot of my friends from uni look at me weird when i told them

Anyway, sorry for rambling. I loved the video, and the little bloopers at the end melted my heart.

(Happy Coming Out Day to every person in this community who has and will come out! Take your time! )

[citizen_erased]

While I do deal with similar problems to Dan, in that I have diagnosed clinical depression and I'm supposed to do all the same things he does re: exercise and healthy eating and a good sleeping pattern (except most of the time I don't, as proven by the fact that I'm writing this at 1.30 am when I'm supposed to shut off the laptop at midnight). But as he said as well, everyone experiences depression differently and it was really interesting for me to hear about how he experienced it.

As for the exercise part: yo what the hell?!?! I mean, 7 hours a week??? holy shit. This makes me wish even more that he and Phil'll do the 100 days project John Green did this year. It also explains the photos of going running etc. I'm generally happy (lol) if I manage to even make it out of the house for a half hour walk to the supermarket and if I don't skip my once-a-week-only aikido lesson of 1.5 hour. I'm happy he's putting in so many hours in something he apparently doesn't really like but knows is good for him. I should definitely do this more as well, but I don't have anything even resembling the support system he has and unfortunately have to do everything by myself, which makes actually getting up and away from the internet way harder.

I'd be more of an emotional mess if I hadn't been deep in my hole depression hole for a couple of weeks now. But as it stands, I really appreciate this video and everything he says in it, and I'm strangely proud of him (considering I've never met him and likely never will) for sharing something so personal with so many people. I'll definitely be rewatching soon when I'm less tired.

[eel]

I really liked the video. I was a bit worried that it wouldn't be good, but Dan did not fail us. I have never dealt with depression, but I have had other mental health issues. I think he handled the difficult subject beautifully. I think it is really important to be open about mental health. I am happy that Dan felt comfortable enough to be this open.

Also I am dying to see what the calendar theme is. I really hope it's not sims.

The board game looks cool. Of course we found out about it before it was officially announced.

[fancy_nancy]

I'm so emotional over this video, I'm not sure if it's because I identify with his experience so much or because I'm so incredibly proud of Dan for sharing all of that. I loved it, and I hope Dan knows just how much it helps to know someone I admire so so much has gone through the same thing I have gone through, it somehow makes me feel less embarassed about everything that is wrong with me.

[Artdefines06]

Thank you Daniel! This was wonderful and perfect. It made me laugh but also was very open and honest and imo accurate. I love it!

(edit I'm changing my tagline. It was cute and funny when he was all secretive, but now that he is opening up it just feels a bit mean. I'm sure something funny will come up to replace it with.)

[Grey]

What a phenomenal video.
Normally I really like reading different opinions about videos and actively seek them out (from people who didn’t like/ liked it) but not for this one. So far I haven’t seen any negativity. I haven’t been looking for it either but I assume it will flow in at some point. But I don’t even want to know if people didn’t like it. I don’t know why, I guess I just loved it a lot.

I agree with Freesocks that I haven’t liked Dan’s recent content that much (I haven’t hated it or anything either) but this was so good and well done.

[brunettedog]

Hello! I’ve been lurking here for quite some time and always enjoy following the conversation but haven’t exactly been brave enough to post my own thoughts, but I feel strongly about this topic so I have decided to join in.

I absolutely loved Dan’s video! As someone who has struggled with depression and mental illness for years but only recently had the courage to open up to some family members, I can’t explain just how proud I am of Dan for sharing his story. I know telling just a few people in my life was very nerve-wracking for me, I couldn’t imagine telling millions of people on the internet.

When he first mentioned about doing a video on mental health, I was curious as how he would approach it in terms of style, but I think he struck a great balance between seriousness and humor.

I agree that this really does seem to be the most open, honest, and candid version of Dan we’ve ever seen. After I finished watching the video, all I wanted to do was just give him a hug
I am proud of him for using his platform to spread awareness on such an important issue, in addition to bringing up the topics of therapy, medication and self-care and his experiences with each, which could be a helpful perspective for anyone considering the pros and cons of each.

Overall, I loved the video and am glad to know that he is seeking help and working on getting better

[malday]

He described apathy perfectly, it's such a scary state to be in.

Not much to say about the video that others haven't already said.
I'm glad he was candid about his own experience and ended it on a positive and optimistic message that change starts with little things you do everyday. Nothing i regret more in my life than letting my issues spiral out of control instead of fighting to overcome them. The sooner you start the better, even if it's a personal fight you have to keep up all your life.

A well done video. :thanks:

[Loafer]

Gosh. I’ve had a knot in my chest since seeing the title, and now I’ve begun to feel weepy. I’m just so stunned and amazed by his honesty, so moved by his genuineness, so proud of him and proud to be his fan. I was nervous but that was the most perfect mental health video he could have done.

I’ve been thinking about how much he’s grown and changed in the years I’ve watched him. This provides context to some of what he’s done and said in the past, and also makes me so optimistic for the future. He’s come so far, has so much support (Phil, mainly, but surely others) and it’s been said here how much happier he seems this year. I can’t wait to see where this path continues to take him.

I’m just so stinkin proud, y’all.

[mm_sunny1993]

I'm so proud of Dan for finding the will and courage to film and upload this video. I hope this video will help a lot of people with their own problems. It was just great to see Dan being so open and honest with his audience.. it really amazes me. It suited his dinof-style even though it was a completely new sort of video for him. I really loved this video and it's definitely one of my favorites now. I will rewatch it loads when I'm feeling down.
A really good video

It sounds a bit strange but this video made me realize that I'm not in a good mental state right now. I've been dealing with depression for around 8 years now (wow time is running fast) and in my bad phases I always felt really sad and hopeless but over the last 3 years I felt better. I wasn't that sad anymore. I could open up to my best friend at times when I needed someone to talk to and I generally felt relieved because I thought I had overcome it. Until now. His description made me realize that I'm all but good at the moment. I'm not sad anymore but when I'm not feeling anxious I'm just feeling numb. I just got so used to this feeling that I thought it was normal, that I was feeling good but that's wrong. My phases just changed from being constantly sad to feeling constantly numb.
From tomorrow on I will start self-care again. I need to get out of bed before noon and I really need to exercise (it's annyoing but it does help a lot). I'm determined to actually get better and I hope this mood stays longer than a few days or weeks but for now I think it's enough as a first step.

Rambeling is over: it's 2 am and I had a 16 hour day speaking in front of other people and feeling anxious so sorry if it doesn't make sense at all. Just needed to get my thought out.

I hope everyone who struggles with mental health finds a way to get better. Whether it be throught medication, therapy or just self-care. There are so many people who struggle with mental problems but still so few actually talk about it or try to get better themselves. I really hope that one day everyone can pinpoint a time in their lives where they were generously in a good mental place and happy with it. Everyone deserves that.

[SneakyLizard]

I have never, ever teared up at a youtube video before, much less a Dan video. This one had me actually crying. I found this fandom when I was at the bottom of the hole, and it gave me a little boost in the process of climbing out. I'm grateful for that, to the people in this community and to Dan and Phil for just being themselves and doin' their thing.

The whole video is well put together, so well said, and remarkably earnest and vulnerable. He managed to make this a Dan style video and did it with grace and humor and I am just blown away. His skill and maturity have come so far, and seeing the way he's changed and grown in the last few years makes a lot of sense now.

I'm very very proud. Shared the video with people in my life that don't even know I watch these guys. He's a good man and a talented youtuber with a lot to give and the response to the video seems to be mostly people saying, yes that's me, or yes I get it now, or voicing encouragement and support generally. Maybe humanity is not as entirely fucked as I thought.

[bjjqueen]

There really isn't anything I can say that hasn't already been said, but I loved this video. I am amazed at how open he was and that he was willing to talk about his own experiences in such depth. There is so much more to his story, but he was so vulnerable and honest and it blew me away. His comments about therapy and antidepressants stood out to me so much. I've never really heard those things get talked about in a somewhat mainstream way and I am so proud that he did and that it's helping people.

[VengefulBlue]

i love everything about the video, and it's right when i need it, too. i've been gone from here since july because my depression got so bad, and i'm just now getting out of it. so dan being so honest and open about it all really gets me.

i don't think i've seen dan this unguarded since '09 or '10, and even then there was always a thin layer of irony over every genuine remark. with this video and with his latest liveshow (calling us "annoying"), i feel like he's being so much more upfront.

two things i rewatched for the lols were phil's exercise cam ("extend your spine, dan") and the popcorn blooper at the end ("have fun sleeping in that"). phil's involvement felt so natural and unobtrusive and genuinely sweet.

i just love these guys, and i'm glad to be watching them again.

[flarequake]

I’m so glad he went the route of just talking about it. His openness is amazing, and the skits and jokes are so funny. He made some great points about not wanting it to define you, being yourself despite it, and worrying about what people think including your therapist. I wasn’t expecting him to talk about any therapy or medication, I just picked up a box of the same for the third time (in 20 years), though as bad as it’s got recently, it’s so much better than years ago.

For all the positive he said, the fact things like 7 hours of exercise a week help him keep a baseline and he still gets a few bad days a month he can’t get out of, that sounds fairly heavy to me. Occasionally I can lift myself out, but usually I need my Paul McKenna recordings, I’ve never been told I’ve got clinical depression, but that it’s mild and it’s still awful. I remember now the last time I was on the same pills and upped the dose, I felt just how he described, mainly the tiredness, for a whole week.

There’s been so much love, support and sharing in comments on Twitter and Tumblr as well as here, it’s been the best response.

[karma_yeah]

I wish I had something profound to add to the conversation, but I don't. Just add me to the long list of people who LOVE THIS VIDEO

Focusing on his own story was absolutely the right way to go. He shared the things that worked for him, but rightly emphasized that everyone's experience is different, and strongly advocated for people to seek help from a professional.

The fact that he was able to do all of that, within the usual framework of Dan Howell skit/humor, not only made it very entertaining, but also shows how talented he is (in my opinion anyway). And on a personal level, I have such respect and admiration! Well done!

So Dan, if you lurk, , , , and much .

[Lain]

Struggling to adequately express how that video made me feel. Still choking back tears. =| Like others here I've been living with depression for a long time and even though he did indicate that this would be a more personal video, I still wasn't prepared for how frankly he would speak about his own experiences. He's brave, I'm grateful, and words fail me, basically.
Dan.

I know how hard depression can be on loved ones, too, because I've seen the effects of my own depression reflected back at me through my s/o's eyes for as many years as he's supported me through it, and I'm probably too emotional (and just generally inarticulate) right now to make sense, but after that video I'm just fit to burst with an immense fondness for Phil, too.