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Dec. 18, 2024 - Dr. Oz Podcast
42:49
Tamar Braxton’s Health Crisis Revealed | Dr. Oz | S7 | Ep 120 | Full Episode
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Time Text
Your favorite daytime stars, like you've never seen them before.
Tamar Braxton.
I thought I had a cold.
I was taking cough medicine.
The condition that almost killed her.
Soap star Maurice Bernard.
One night, I got violent with my father.
His brutal battle with bipolar disorder.
I don't like to be that person.
I just want to get fixed.
Inside, the secret health battles they've been fighting behind the scenes.
Coming up next.
This I've never talked about.
We'll save lives today.
We are ready to get healthy!
Today, your favorite daytime stars like you have never seen them before.
They are turning the camera on themselves to give you a look into the secret health battles they've been fighting behind the scenes.
And we're starting with what really happened to talk show host and reality star, Tamar Braxton.
You're gonna see footage shot by Tamar herself, showing what went down the night doctors forced her to leave dancing with the stars.
Tamar's here today with what you need to know about the blood clots that almost took her life.
Then, you know him as Port Charles' study Corinthos.
But today, general star, I love him too, general hospital star Maurice Bernard is here.
He's sharing a video diary shot exclusively for us.
It's a rare look into his brutal battle with bipolar disorder, which he kept secret for over a decade.
And finally, I don't know if someone you know suffers from bipolar.
We're going to begin with Tamar Braxton and the stunning moment her life changed forever.
My man, everything's not for the camera.
Back off.
Thank you.
So we get to the hospital and the doctors are running tests and checking on things with Tamar.
And Tamar didn't want to miss her show and her performance.
Wait, three doctors came in and was like, you're bugging.
Where you going, dog?
What you talking about?
You going to go dance and come back?
They just really, at this point, don't really know what's going on.
Or at least they do, and they're not telling me, you know?
The doctors told me I need to cancel my tour, stop taping the reel, and quit dancing with the stars.
They said if I didn't stop everything right now that I was doing, that the clocks could kill me.
Oh no.
I wouldn't end up this sick this fast.
All you want her to do is get well and get better, and looking at her, it felt so helpless.
No one knows what's getting ready to happen to me, not even myself.
Until she's out, I won't be able to rest or sleep.
I hate what happens to me.
Nobody wants to get sick and everybody wants to make it, thank God.
The only thing that matters at this point is surviving this so I can see my little boy grow up.
Come on out, Tamar Braxton.
You look really good for what you went through.
Thank you.
I know.
Thanks.
Oh my goodness.
I just showed everyone the tan cam.
Yeah.
Your personal footage.
Yeah.
What was going on.
That is one of the scariest things we see as doctors in the emergency room.
It happens to women, especially young women, a lot.
What was your biggest fear in the moment?
In the moment, I thought that I was going to end up in intensive care, in a coma, because my husband had the same thing.
And I thought what happened to him was going to happen to me, and it was very scary.
I don't know if you know this, but African Americans are 50% more likely to have these clots.
I do now.
You do?
So, let's talk about what the diagnosis was.
They keep you in the hospital.
Yeah.
They start looking for why you have this clot.
Mm-hmm.
And they found something called thoracic outlet syndrome.
Yeah.
I had no idea what that was.
At first, they thought I had lupus, because my sister, Toni, has lupus.
Yep.
And so they kept testing me.
They kept testing my blood, kept testing my blood, and nothing came up.
And then they finally diagnosed me with that.
And I was like, what's TOS? Yeah.
And they were saying that my rib was compressing my vein, and that's what ultimately gave me the clot.
So having thoracic surgery to take this rib out is a big deal.
Yeah, it was a big deal, and I was scared.
So when I first got in the hospital, I thought I was going to be out of the hospital in 24 hours.
Right?
Isn't that crazy?
But my husband called my sisters and told them.
And, you know, one by one, they all came to the hospital.
And my sister, Tawanda, in particular, I was really happy to see.
I haven't seen her or talked to her in like three months, which is really unusual for us.
And she came in and I just...
Can I just show them what...
Yeah.
Because I want them actually to see this.
You actually caught this on the TAM cam.
Yeah, I did.
Take a look.
Hey, Tawanda.
Hi.
Well, Tawanda comes to see me in the hospital, and I haven't seen or talked to Tawanda in about three months.
And it's just so emotional for me because, you know, nothing is worth my sisterhood.
Oh, goodness.
Hi.
I just want to be around my loved ones.
Yeah.
That's pretty cool.
That's pretty cool.
That's important stuff you were dealing with.
I love that you got to Tawanda.
Yeah.
All right, so let's go back to why you didn't realize this was happening to you.
The symptoms of these blood clots, they're subtle, and women ignore them because they're busy.
Yeah.
I want to show you and everybody else at home what really happened.
Okay.
Come on over.
All right.
So this is a little animation.
You can come on this way.
That we made for you.
It doesn't look perfectly like you.
Almost.
I tried.
So, the blood started in a vein that was running from your arm up back towards your body.
And when that vein got squeezed by that rib, what ends up happening is it slows the ability of the blood to go through there, and that kink literally blocks off enough that the blood clots.
You got a big blood clot here.
If it just stays there, God bless you, but you're dancing around, doing all kinds of fun things, that clot escapes from there, goes down that big vein into the heart, circles through the heart, and gets thrust into the lungs.
If it had gone into your brain, it would have caused a stroke, a big one.
But in the lungs, it caused these, multiple areas, these dark areas, like someone punched it, punched it, going at your lungs like this.
Those are bruises that destroy the lung tissue.
Have you ever seen a real lung before?
No, no.
It's a great day for you.
Oh my goodness.
Here, put these gloves on.
You'll need this.
Oh, Lord!
Everyone thinks their lungs are, you know, up in here somewhere, but they're actually in your back a little bit.
And they are remarkable organs.
Okay.
And they're important for us today for a couple reasons.
Oh, I'm such a girl, Dr. Oz.
You know, this is not my zhuzh.
So, allow me.
Let's look at this lung first.
So, here's the lung.
It's alive.
Have at it.
That's right.
And see these little tubes here?
That's where the blood flows down.
And notice what's in here.
See a little red thing in there?
Mm-hmm.
Not gonna bite you.
Cuddle up here.
It's not gonna come.
Mm, what's that?
That's the blood clot.
Nah.
Ooh, nah.
Yeah.
That's the blood clot right there.
And you put that in your lung, and no blood can go to this area, and this area starts to die.
Oh, really?
So, I'm going to ask you to do me a favor.
Oh, what's the favor?
I got this lung for you.
This is a healthy lung.
Okay.
You're going to hold it like that.
Really?
Put it up near your chest, like that.
Put it where it's supposed to be, right there.
Don't drop it.
Don't drop it.
There.
Now, I want everybody in the audience...
Stay calm now.
And I want you too, Tamar, to take a deep breath in.
Imagine that lung filling with all that well-inspired, clean air cleansing you.
And every moment of your day, you think about the fact that those lungs are breathing in you.
And I want you to think about it every day as well.
Because the ability to take that deep breath in, one of the most precious things we do, we forget about it in the middle of all the other things that might be going on in your life.
But the ability to take a moment for your life and...
Breathing life is unique.
You know that acutely, and you're teaching that to everybody.
Yeah, it's a blessing to breathe.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's a blessing to stand here, to be honest.
I'm going to bring someone out who knows that I'm feeling.
Tamar's husband, Vince, is here.
He had a similar health scare to Tamar.
And you know what?
Are the changes they've made enough?
We're going to find out.
Yeah, be right back.
Next.
Next.
What's it like being on the outside looking in?
Last time you were the guy on the stretcher.
Tamar's husband Vince speaks out about his own health crisis.
It's really scary.
Has their commitment to a healthier lifestyle made an impact?
Get your life and just get it together.
It's a hot new trend in weight loss.
You've heard of detoxing.
What about T-toxic?
I lost about five pounds and I feel great.
It was not good.
Is it safe?
Then, you love the smell, but are your scented candles toxic?
How much of these chemicals are in the air around us?
We sniff out the truth in our investigation.
What is this stuff?
You want this in your lungs?
All new Oz.
That's coming up tomorrow.
Vince, you had this big health issue recently.
You were in a medically induced coma.
Yes.
Lots of crazy stuff happening.
Yes.
I had a P.E. Pulmonary embolism.
Yeah, which runs in my family.
He actually had seven at the same time.
Four in his chest and three in his legs.
Yes.
So what are you doing?
What have you changed?
I changed my flying habits, which people don't know that you're supposed to get up and walk around every hour.
You know, weight is often a complicating factor.
Yes.
Have you made any headway there?
I've lost 60 pounds.
You have?
Yes!
How do you do that?
Did you do it for him?
That was a clip from the last time Kamara and her husband Vince were on the show.
I gotta say, you look fabulous.
I am proud that you lost all that weight.
So, what's it like being on the outside looking in?
Last time you were the guy on the stretcher.
It's really scary.
It's a moment where you just like, you want everything to be alright, but there's nothing you can do but be positive for her.
And it's heartbreaking because it's the love of your life, the mother of your child, and you always want the best for those people.
You went to bat for it.
You got it comfortable.
Yeah, definitely.
Let's talk about Logan a little bit.
He's two-year-old.
Yes.
A cute little thing.
It ups the stakes.
Yes.
How does it change your motivation to be healthy?
Well, you know, I have to live for him, you know?
And I have to show him, you know, a healthy lifestyle as well.
Because, you know, obviously, he has two parents who has, you know, blood issues, obviously.
And, you know, nine times out of ten...
I hope not, but nine times out of ten, he might have those same issues.
So we just have to make sure that we set an example for him.
It's a scary concept in itself.
Yeah.
So you guys, you have the TemCam.
You've been very dutifully collecting information for me about the healthier lifestyle you're living.
And I'm very proud of you.
So let's go back and talk about the advances you've made.
We're going to start off with some of the classic foods.
And you took pictures of them all.
Let's put them up there.
Be honest about them.
The good and the bad, right?
We got an arugula salad down there with beets and goat cheese.
That looks pretty healthy.
My favorite.
You got salmon.
What a show-off.
I love Sammy.
Do you like Sammy?
Good old Sammy.
Yes.
That's my friend, Sammy.
Now, next to your friend Sammy is your bud Pete's.
Yes.
I hope it's thin crust pizza.
Yes, thin crust.
And are those pepperonis, or am I seeing that wrong?
Pepperoni and some sausage, won't you do it?
Yes!
Now, when you have a choice, do you go for your cousin Sam, or do you go for Pete's?
I'm usually with my friend Sam, but, you know, I love pizza.
It's like my favorite.
But she eats so much salmon.
I do.
Is that too much salmon?
Because you eat it all the time.
No.
You know, I tell you, you eat the good foods that are good for you, because you like them and because they're good for you, you don't have to deal with that.
Let's go back to this issue of Get Your Life.
I didn't know what that meant last time.
Please explain.
Last time you were on the show, we had a big thing about this.
What does Get Your Life mean?
Well, Get Your Life is just like, you know, get it together, pretty much.
Well, you got it together in a very different way since we saw you last.
Lying on a stretcher.
When you face the abyss of death, the darkness of leaving that beautiful Logan and Vince and not being around for them, it changes the meaning and gets your life.
It does.
Absolutely.
It definitely does.
I'm glad I'm able to get my life now.
High five on that.
You learned a whole new meaning for it.
Thanks for joining us.
Tune in to WE tv tonight at 9 p.m.
Eastern to catch the finale of Tamar and Vince.
We'll be right back.
Next, General Hospital star Maurice Bernard opens up about living with bipolar disorder.
He had three nervous breakdowns.
Feels like being in a nightmare.
I see it as God and the devil fighting.
A brutal fight that almost costed his life.
His story is next.
Today we're giving you an inside look into the secret health battles of your favorite daytime stars.
They're turning the cameras on themselves to reveal what really happened.
And now, the brutal health battle one of the biggest soap opera stars has been fighting that almost cost him his life.
He's remained at the top of the pack for two decades.
Maurice Bernard is one of the biggest soap opera stars of all time.
While he was romancing on screen as bad boy Sonny Corinthos and wooing daytime fans on the red carpet, a hidden struggle was bubbling beneath the surface.
For years, Maurice has suffered from a manic depressive illness, bipolar disorder.
While battling his own demons behind the scenes, he was also powering through these emotions on screen.
A scene from General Hospital requiring Bernard's character to have a breakdown triggered a breakdown of his own that made him violent and suicidal.
In 2004, Maurice opened up to Oprah for the first time about his manic depressive disorder and how it affected his life outside of work.
So he would come home as Sonny?
Is that what you're saying?
Yeah, I'd come home sometimes and starting to not be able to, you know, I couldn't leave the character at work.
I started to bring him home.
And then one thing led to another and it just got, it got worse and worse.
And in that state of mind that I was in, I said to her, don't cry.
Stop crying.
And she wouldn't stop, so I started yelling.
And I told her that if she didn't stop, that I was going to kill her.
And now, a new bipolar storyline for his character, tapping into the emotional stress of mental illness, threatens to shake Maurice one more time.
Today, he's ready to open up on his private battle with bipolar disorder and how he plans to tackle this role.
Maurice's bipolar disorder has caused him to develop an extreme anxiety towards flying.
Because of this debilitating fear, he went 10 years without taking a flight.
We didn't know if this interview would be taking place here in New York City or over Skype from his home.
But he made it, and he turned the camera on himself to document his journey to our studio.
His goal is simple, to give you an exclusive look at what it's like to live with this disorder.
Take a look.
Hi, it's Maurice Bernard.
I left last night about 2.30 in the morning.
How do you feel about getting on a plane right now?
I don't know.
I feel kind of like I want to do it.
If you know anything about me, it's been very difficult to fly.
I've gotten off two planes.
A job got me on a plane the first time.
Dr. Oz got me on a plane the second time.
Dad, are you excited?
I'm sitting on the plane and everything's seemingly normal and great.
And then I fell asleep for a second and I looked at Paula.
She's asleep.
My girls are asleep.
So I'm by myself and I'm feeling anxiety.
And what happens when you feel the anxiety is you feel like you can't breathe a little bit and your mind starts saying, get off the plane, get off the plane, get off the plane.
And you know you can.
So I got up, went to the bathroom, put some water on my face.
I sat back down and it went away.
It will pass, people.
We have to keep telling ourselves that.
It will pass.
Pretty cool, pretty cool.
A little glitch.
Maurice Bernard is here today.
Please join us Thank you for having me You made it!
I made it.
You made it!
Why is it such a hard decision for you to get on a plane?
I could see the anxiety in every aspect of that little self-can.
Well, because after getting off two planes, you don't want to feel that feeling that you get when the anxiety starts.
And I know when I'm on a plane, there ain't no getting off.
So I have to kind of do what I do.
Why is it such a trigger?
Is it the fact you give up control?
Well, I think it's stress.
That causes it.
Because every time that has happened, I've been under a lot of stress.
You're one of the first celebrities to be public about mental health issues.
You hit it for a long time.
At that time in your career, it was probably important.
What was it like keeping that important secret?
Well, the reason I didn't talk about it was somebody, a few people had told me that if I tell people I'm bipolar, I'm not going to get hired as an actor.
So I didn't speak about it for a while.
And then I ended up doing a little article in a magazine and I got a letter from a boy whose brother had taken a gun and killed himself.
And he said that by reading what he read about me helped him get through his brother's death.
So I decided that's more important than any directors hiring me.
God bless you.
Thank you.
50%, right?
That's the number.
Half of people with bipolar disorder try to take their lives.
So you save a lot by being public.
Yeah, what you do, you know, I think it's the greatest thing.
People need to know about these things because people do die.
So let's go into your history a little bit.
Before you were diagnosed, you had three so-called nervous breakdowns.
I would love to understand what it feels like to be in the middle of one.
It feels like being in a nightmare and not being able to wake up.
I see it as God and the devil fighting.
And most of the time God wins.
Sometimes God doesn't win and the devil wins as we were just talking about.
And that's what it feels like.
And you can't get out of the nightmare.
So, age 22, you have a violent interaction with your mom.
You end up getting hospitalized.
Yeah, I was actually 21, and I remembered one time I got violent with her, and I never do that with my mother, and my dad grabbed me, and they still didn't know what was going on.
Then one night, I got very violent at night, and I said to my father that I was the devil.
And I remember my mom on the phone, and I said, what's my mom doing?
And my dad said, oh, she's calling the doctor.
I said, she better not call the police.
And then the doorbell rings, and I open the door, and it's the police.
And my mom says that I looked at her with this look of betrayal that she's never seen.
And they came in, but they can't do anything.
Because I was, you know, I was crying a little bit.
But I just lied to them and said, oh, we were just, you know, had a little argument, no big deal.
And the cop happened to be a friend of mine from high school.
So he's like, are you sure everything's right?
Everything's fine.
Then the next day, they took me to the hospital.
In the hospital, I understand, you thought about taking your life.
Well, that was...
First, they took me to the county hospital, which was...
The stuff I saw there was not even worth talking about.
And then they took me to another mental institution where I could walk around.
But if I didn't take my medication, I'd try to hide it, try to...
Throw it down or whatever.
Or if I jumped on the counter, these big guys would come in, grab me, throw me in a seclusion room, and there would be a bed with four walls and they'd tie me down from my wrist, my waist, my ankles.
And I'd just try to get out the whole time for hours.
You can't get out of these things.
And one time I saw a latch on the wall.
It was about that long.
And I finally got to it and I ripped it off the wall.
And I remember taking it and putting it right here, and I said, this is it, right?
You're gonna stitch your wrist?
Yeah.
With this latch?
Yeah, with this thing.
It was metal, and I could do it.
And I started praying.
God help me.
And I took the latch, bent it, made it into a cross, and I put it by my bed.
So that's when I say it's the devil and God, you know, that kind of thing.
You still have that latch?
No, no, no, I don't have it.
I don't have it.
But I stayed in there for two weeks and finally escaped.
You escaped?
Yeah, escaped.
It was a...
This is a good interview.
I haven't gotten this deep.
So the first day they let me out for a walk, I remember walking down one wall, one door, walking down another door, and I'm outside.
And I'm 129 pounds.
I lost 30 pounds.
And the guy's talking to the girl.
They're out front.
And I just walked, walked, and just ran.
Cops were after me.
How deep do you want to go here?
You got away?
Yeah, I got away.
I got away.
I went to this place, and I walked in.
I said, excuse me, can I use your phone?
Because I need to make a phone call.
It's kind of urgent.
And they said, sure.
So I called my buddy, and he picked me up.
Went home.
My mom called the hospital and said, do you want him back?
They go, no, if he wants to leave that bad, you can go ahead.
All right.
Up next, the moment Maurice almost lost it all.
Three weeks into landing the role of Sonny on General Hospital.
Maurice gets handed the role of a lifetime and almost blows it.
Three weeks into the job, you have another nervous breakdown.
What happened?
I came home and I was saying my Sonny's lines.
It got pretty intense, yeah.
That's next.
It's a hot new trend in weight loss.
I lost about five pounds and I feel great.
It was not good.
Is it safe?
All new Oz.
That's coming up tomorrow.
Maurice is here giving us a very raw inside look into his battle with bipolar disorder.
Let's fast forward a little bit in time.
When you actually landed this iconic role of Sonny in General Hospital.
I didn't realize this was happening, but three weeks into it.
Think about this, guys.
It's the biggest opportunity of your life.
Three weeks into the job, you have another nervous breakdown.
What happened?
What happened was, every time I, you know, these breakdowns come because I don't, I get off my medication.
Do not, where's the camera?
Pick anyone you want.
Do not get off your medication.
Every time I've gone off, I've had a breakdown.
And sure enough, three weeks into the gig, I guess my wife says that I came home and I was saying Sonny's Lines, who's the character I play on the show.
And she's like, why are you saying his lines?
I said, what?
What do you mean?
She goes, what, you're saying Sonny's...
I don't remember.
That's what I was doing.
And...
That was, I quit the show.
I said, I don't want to go back because I attributed acting to my breakdown.
So I said, I quit.
I want to be a preacher.
I want to walk around.
I said, I want to take my shoes off and my socks off and walk around.
You know, that kind of thing.
General Hospital, they could have fired me.
I wasn't anybody at that time, so they could have let me go, and they just waited.
And then some things happened with my wife.
You figured it out.
Well, we figured it out, yeah, but it got pretty intense, yeah.
Alright, up next we're going to talk a little bit about what happened that was pretty intense and the latest twist in the general hospital storyline that poses a big time challenge for Maurice.
Plus we're going to meet Paula and talk about a little bit more how she almost pulled the plug on his soap career.
Stay with us.
Next, Maurice's wife speaks out on her husband's intense struggles.
Were you ever scared personally?
Yeah.
So I threatened to kill her.
Oh my.
How has bipolar disorder turned their marriage into a real-life drama?
Whoever said a doctor's visit isn't fun has obviously never been to the Dr. Oz show.
Is that right?
Make your appointment today.
Go to DrOz.com/tickets and sign up for free tickets.
We're back with General Hospital star Maurice Bernard and he's joined with his wife of 26 years, Paula.
Congratulations, Paula.
Together, they're giving us a raw look into his battle with bipolar disorder.
So, Paula, some of these scenes, I understand, were so close to what Maurice is all about in real life that you pulled the plug on him or tried.
Well, yeah, I mean, it was, you know, like you mentioned early on in General Hospital, and he was doing a really intense storyline.
And the storyline he was doing, the girl was an underage stripper and doing drugs.
And, you know, he was having a hard time.
He's a very method actor.
So he came home and we ran lines every day.
But this time it was different because he started talking to me outside of running lines in the dialogue of his character.
And I'd gone through a breakdown with him before.
We've been together since I was 17. And it was just different.
This time he had...
You know, more intense, more violence in his eyes.
And he was talking about how he was heartbroken because he was hurting the girl on the show.
And I'm like, what do you mean, honey, hurting the girl on the show?
I thought he was talking about the actress, like they did something in the scene.
And he said, no, no, she's just, you know, I don't like her stripping.
And I'm like, what do you mean, honey?
And he's like, what are you talking about?
And then he would come out of it completely.
And I was scared.
And then over the weekend, he started drinking.
Alcohol is a really bad trigger for him when he's going through something like this.
And that's when the rage and violence came.
Were you ever scared personally?
Yeah.
What happened was, we had been through an intense time talking about certain things.
I felt like I needed to confess my sins to her.
And I was crying like a baby and she was crying.
And then I went into the kitchen and I got a bottle of wine.
And I pretty much drank all of it.
And then I started just, but see, you know, I feel I would not cross the line.
I feel it's all a game that I play.
So I threatened to kill her.
Oh my.
And her knees were buckling under the table.
I've never seen that except in movies.
And so she was scared and she took her nieces out of the house.
I don't like it.
I don't like, you know, all that.
I don't like it at all.
So for me, thank God, I'm the type of person who says, help me.
When you were threatening people that you love, were you aware or did you feel possessed?
I feel possessed.
That's not me.
See, he doesn't have control.
Yeah, but I'm not going to kill somebody.
Oh, now I'm a killer.
We debate that, but only in that mindset.
On medication, it's been 25 years since then.
He's never had a breakdown.
On medication, we did a movie.
Sorry, I get to plug my movie.
Please do.
I produced a movie, The Ghost and the Whale, that he starred in.
You know, he claims...
It's a good point in that movie of what we're talking about.
There was a monologue that was about five, six, seven pages long, and I knew I had to nail it for the crew, and I knew I had to get respect.
And I went in and I did it, and I felt like I was Al Pacino, you know?
I felt great.
And the directors come out and go...
And I'm like, what's wrong?
They go, not good enough.
And I'm like, really?
She comes out, she goes, honey, you need to do it better.
Now, that's hard to hear for an actor, you know.
So I said, baby, but here's the problem.
What if I push it to the point of no return?
She goes, no, honey, I know you won't because I believe in you and you're stronger than that.
And I said, but we really don't know, do we?
So I said, all right, I'll do it.
So I did it.
And she was right.
The other one did suck.
We all know bipolar disorder has a genetic component.
The latest twist on General Hospital is that Sonny's son, Morgan, has been diagnosed with bipolar.
So we've got a clip.
I want you to take a look at this very carefully.
It was stupid!
It was a stupid idea!
It's a pattern!
It's what I'm saying!
It's a pattern!
You have been so impulsive and volatile lately.
A lot of times, people who are bipolar, it starts in their 20s.
I was about your age when my life changed.
I was a hothead like you.
But I started getting these episodes.
I started getting high, feeling great, like nobody can touch me.
And then I would crash.
And it would feel like I went down a hole with no bottom.
All I'm saying to you, son, is I don't want you to take the time that I did to figure out the truth.
It highlights a critical moment in the young life.
That's when the onset of bipolar is.
Why was it so important for you to have that storyline, to portray that?
Well, the first time I did a bipolar A storyline about bipolar was, I don't remember how many years ago, six, seven years ago.
But the reason it's so important is to educate.
You know, the thing about soap operas that is great is we've done AIDS storylines, we've done breast cancer storylines.
You can really educate a lot of people with these storylines, especially when they're done well.
And this particular story is not now me looking at it through The eyes of the father not going through it myself.
Now you're me.
Yeah, now I'm her.
Because I've never been able to put a mirror to my face.
I probably don't want to see that, you know?
But it's a beautiful thing to watch this kid who can really do it well.
Because it ends and starts with this kid if he's not a good actor.
We got a little surprise for you.
That kid, his name is Brian Craig, plays your son.
Got a little message for you.
Take a look.
Hey Maurice, it's Brian Craig.
I just want to say that playing your son Morgan on General Hospital has been a very meaningful role to me.
Your experience with mental illness Has helped me create a character that, you know, to the best of my abilities, depicts the struggles that people dealing with bipolar and depression go through in real life.
And I just want to say that I couldn't have done it without you.
And your strength and your honesty is inspiring.
And I think you're an amazing role model to anyone that's actually going through this in real life.
So, I love you.
I'll see you back in Port Charles.
Pretty cool.
It's fantastic.
I mean, you know, it's...
I just...
I just love helping these young actors, you know?
Especially when it comes to a storyline about something that's personal to me.
Let's show.
You did a great job.
Thank you.
Up next.
The warning sign is to know if you or someone you know is suffering from bipolar.
Important stuff.
Coming up next, Maurice makes it his mission to shed the stigma of mental illness.
You're still strong when you cry.
How to recognize the symptoms.
And they were looking at me like, this is not him.
And what one woman has to say to Maurice about saving her life.
Coming up next.
It's a hot new trend in weight loss.
T-toxing.
I lost about five pounds and I feel great.
It was not good.
Is it safe?
All new Oz.
That's coming up tomorrow.
God, it feels so good!
And only I can feel it because I got fire in my heart.
God, it feels so good!
Take it in.
Breathe.
Breathe in.
Take it all in.
Oh, my.
That is a clip from Maurice Bernard's upcoming movie, The Ghost and the Whale, about living with bipolar disorder.
So, let's educate folks.
What are the symptoms people need to watch out for?
Not sleeping, racing thoughts, anything out of the ordinary.
I remember sitting with my mom and dad, and I was talking like I was very smart, like intelligent.
Not that I'm not, but...
But I was just using these big words and they were looking at me like, this is not him.
Crying for no reason.
I was brought up Spanish and my dad was very macho.
So we were kind of taught not to cry.
So I think when I finally had my breakdown, all I did in the hospital, it seemed like, was cry.
Like 20 years a night crying, holding it in.
Now I just cry for everything.
And I've learned later on, as the years go by, that you're still strong when you cry.
You're not weak.
A man is a man.
Well stated.
Let's talk about creativity a little bit.
You know, bipolar is called the genius disease because so many bright people like yourself struggle with it.
The lithium that you're on, which is one of the most widely studied medications out there, and it's commonly used, you've been on it for, I don't know, how many years?
About 20 years straight.
So, do you ever worry that it's going to reduce your creativity, that it'll take away that special spark that makes Maurice, Maurice?
No, I mean, because here's the thing.
Maybe I did early on, But now I've been on it straight for 22 years.
And I think I've done pretty well in the last 22 years.
And the only drawback not taking the medication for me is having a breakdown.
And I will say this because I don't think we've talked about it.
The Mannix people love the Mannix.
Highs, the grandiose feeling like you can do anything, you know?
It's great.
You feel incredible.
But for me, the depression that came when I would fall, I don't ever want to feel that.
Ever.
So, stay on your medication.
We've got thousands of letters.
Yes.
From folks following you coming on the show.
You've influenced so many people.
Carol is one of the folks who wrote in whose story was so compelling.
I wanted you to hear from her directly, her thoughts.
So, Carol, what do you have to say to Maurice?
Well, as a person living with a mental health condition for the last 23 years, when I saw you on Oprah, it just really brought me to tears.
Your honesty and your courage just to, both you and your wife, put yourselves out there.
it just gave me so much hope and I know that it helped millions of people and I just want to say thank you for starting to have the dialogue applause applause applause applause applause applause applause I have a gift to you thank you thank you so much my friend for being so open today, so honest - Yeah. -
So raw, because it's how the word gets out.
Blessings to your wife.
We're beautiful daughters.
You brought them all.
You should be very proud of your dad.
From Maurice's Trusted Bipolar Disorder Resources, you can go to DrRiles.com.
They are all there in TuneIn General Hospital on weekdays on ABC. You all know where it is.
You know why it's worth tuning into.
It's a fantastic, fantastic experience.
We'll be right back.
Thank you.
It's a hot new trend in weight loss.
You've heard of detoxing.
What about T-toxic?
I lost about five pounds and I feel great.
It was not good.
Is it safe?
Then, you love the smell, but are your scented candles toxic?
How much of these chemicals are in the air around us?
We sniff out the truth in our investigation.
What is this stuff?
You want this in your lungs?
All new Oz.
That's coming up tomorrow.
General Hospital star Maurice Bernard just gave us a glimpse into his struggle with anxiety.
And he's not alone.
Millions of you will experience a panic attack in your life.
So what are the signs?
You'll get shortness of breath.
That's the biggest one for a lot of people.
You might get chest pain or you'll feel dizzy.
Now, many people even show up to the hospital because they're having one of these problems and they think they're having a heart attack.
But I'm about to give you a simple five-step method to shut down a panic attack instantly.
It's called the AWARE method.
Aware.
Think of those five letters.
It helps you regain control.
The A stands for accepting the anxiety.
Fighting it can actually fuel the fire.
W, wait.
It's about waiting just a minute.
Take a minute to regain the ability to think.
A is for action.
Regulate your breathing from your belly or from your diaphragm.
R is for repeat.
You can repeat these steps as many times as it takes until the panic attack stops down.
And E is for the end.
To remind yourself that panic attacks end.
They always do.
It's a temporary state, and remember, you're gonna be okay when it's all done.
I want you to be aware of panic attacks, so I'm shrinking this down to a card size, like this.
All you gotta do is keep it in your wallet or your purse.
You can head to my Facebook page to print it and then pass this around and share it with people you care about.
They'll thank you for it.
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