Susan Boyle leaves clinic, eyes U.S. success

[BlueJessamine]

Source: Reuters

LONDON - Susan Boyle, who became a global star after appearing on a British television talent contest, has left the London clinic where she was being treated for exhaustion, her brother said on Friday. The 48-year-old amateur singer from Scotland, whose performance on "Britain's Got Talent" in April was downloaded nearly 200 million times on the Internet, was admitted to the Priory clinic on Sunday amid concerns for her mental health.

"She's much happier," her brother Gerry told GMTV.

"She seems a lot more like herself. I think things are becoming clearer now and she's much more content. I believe she's in the middle of London, in a flat in London."

Dowdy and unglamorous, the unemployed church volunteer challenged viewers' notion of what a star should be.


Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE54R5FR20090605

---

Boyle's brother also confirmed reports that Boyle was expecting to perform in front of President Barack Obama.

[hlthe2b]

1. She seemed like a great candidate for SSRIs

Given all she's gone through and the recent loss of her mother, I suspect a prozac-type drug would do wonders--along with trusted friends and family to protect her interests.... Be well, Susan and be yourself!

[MADem]

5. I think her emotional lablity is a function of her brain damage.

She has a history of doing this kind of "meltdown" thing. It's something she just has to deal with. I don't know if SSRIs would "even her out."

What she really needs is a couple of bodyguards who will keep tabloid reporters off her, and a publicist who says "Smile, wave and keep walking...that's right. Into the car....all right now, through the doors, to the elevator....smile, wave, there ya go!" She doesn't need to be accosted on the street. She's got to live in the bubble and have "people." I just hope one of the people is a caring relative with her best interests at the forefront.

[Captain Hilts]

18. Yes. Some peeps to protect her. But, think about it, being a performer and singer

is one of those fields where she has the chance to come across as comparatively 'normal'!

Singers are to show biz what folks that catch the ball are to the NFL - just crazier than other folks in the field. Shockey, T.O., Johnson, Chris Cooley.

Judy Garland, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Mick or Keith, Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, Bobby Darrin, etc. It's a long line-up of folks that were geniuses, yet batshit crazy. At least we know Boyle's getting some help.

[Odin2005]

27. I know a young lady who has a similar kind of brain damage Boyle has and...

And she is just like that, very emotional.

[MADem]

52. A member of my family works at a school for people with learning differences.

She has students who are on the same wavelength with the same sort of damage. It's almost as if their "governor" isn't working properly--they have difficulty controlling their emotions, when they get emotional, their emotions are amplified far beyond a typical response, they ramp up quickly, are slow to ramp down, and there's not much to be done for it but work around it and teach them coping strategies. It's not something that can be helped with a pill, unless you want to turn them into zombies, and that's not a good goal.

[Odin2005]

56. One thing about that young lady's behavior that concerns me is her hitting on evey guy she knows.

And the thing you are talking about may be the reason; after my physically disabled friend, who also has some similar behavioral issues stemming from Shaken Baby Syndrome, was raped I have been extremely concerned about the young lady's own safety. She's also extremely sensitive to criticism, wrongly taking something as an insult or a slight when it wasn't.

[Honeycombe8]

76. I thought she was very shy. She's hitting on men? nt

[MADem]

84. He's not talking about Susan--he's talking about someone he knows with the same

medical history at birth.

[Hansel]

71. My son was oxygen deprived when he was born.

He had the cord wrapped around his neck and was coming out shoulder first. I was induced due to my pre-eclampsia and they had ramped up the medication as it wasn't working. Suddenly it kicked in. Every time I had a contraction the cord tightened. A nurse finally was able to get her hand in and turn him enough to get the cord from around his neck and coax him come out head first, but the damage had been done.

He suffered minimal brain dysfunction. There were extreme emotional issues when he was a baby and toddler (mostly in terms of moving in and out of interacting with the world (or reality), crying, head banging and rocking and other compulsive behavior). For a time they thought he was autistic. To make a long story short, I had noticed that the things that seemed to stimulate him in a positive way were loud noises and bright shiny things. I bought him an Atari and Super Mario Brothers and he became somewhat obsessed with it. But he also improved both emotionally and physically (he had had severe problems with eye/hand coordination).

I learned to avoid the emotional triggers through patience and by understanding that he had to have constant structure in his life. Every minute of every day has to be planned and he has never done one spontaneous thing in his life. Asking him to do something not in his plans gets a reaction similar to Dustin Hoffman in the movie Rainman when he was about to miss his favorite TV show. That rarely ever happens though because he has surrounded himself with people who understand that. He is now 32 years old, is a successful drug and alcohol counselor, is married and has a wife who is just like him. They are the perfect a couple and happy. And he is a great person. I'm very proud of him.

I now understand why Susan Boyle's brother is so protective of her and why she acts the way she does. I have never lost that feeling that my son needs to be protected, even though I stopped doing it many years ago. But if he were on the world stage, you can bet I would be acting just like her brother. Susan Boyle will never be able to handle stardom. But as long as everything goes as planned, a trip to the White House might be a great experience for her. I wish her and her family the best.

[meow2u3]

74. So was I

My mom had gestational diabetes--plus she smoked 3 packs of cigs a day--when she was pregnant with me. The docs said I suffered a perinatal stroke, leaving me with frontal lobe damage and ADD-like symptoms. I had been misdiagnosed as having "childhood schizophrenia" (the 1960's term for what's now called Asperger's Disorder); IOW, they thought I was an aspie!

I had a dual diagnosis of organic brain syndrome and ADD.

I was so hyper as a kid my mom called me "Denise the Menice", a female version of Dennis the Menace! I had been in residential treatment from age 10 through 13 1/2, when I aged out of the treatment center. The damage didn't affect my intellect, but it did impair me socially and emotionally, not to mention I still can't concentrate on stuff that doesn't interest me. Now I have to force myself to do things I don't like doing, but are a must, such as house cleaning, budgeting, and balancing my checkbook. I'm no longer physically hyper, but still get a internal feeling of restlessness, impatience, and temper.

I had to learn how to structure my life and settle into my own routine, doing things my own way as long as they get done properly. When I get off my self-imposed structure, my life becomes a mess!

[Hansel]

77. Sounds very familiar. I'm curious...

The Super Mario video games seemed to be a significant turning point for my son in terms of settling him down enough emotionally to finally be able to interact more appropriately in social settings. My son actually had a very difficult time in terms of interacting with other people at all. Most times he seemed like in was not in this world but a million miles away, thus the concern that he might be autistic. That stopped after the video games, which we started when he was about 6. At that point he started interacting with people consistently and was able to stop just jumping up and blurting out answers to questions in school like a little hyperactive robot (the right answers I might add, so like you he is intelligent).

Did things like playing video games or being involved in other things with all of the loud noises, bright lights and bells and whistles ever hold any intrigue for you? Because for my son, playing video games seemed to have rewired his brain enough to finally bring him into this world.

My son also had ADD. I'm not sure why they insist that the is a separate thing. I think that they could stop with Organic Brain Syndrome and call ADD a symptom. Let people with undisciplined children use the ADD term and take the stigma out of it for children with real challenges. Half the mother's in the school my son attended told me their children were ADD. I always wanted to say "oh really, let them spend a week with me and I'll let you know."

You and my son seem very similar except for one thing. One of my son's obsessions is balancing his checkbook. When he first got his bank account he would call them several times a day. He finally stopped doing that when he got the internet. Now he is on the website several times a day.

I'm not sure what you think of your experience with residential treatment. We were able to avoid that with help from the Minnesota State Legislature who refunded a program to help him after they heard his case, from the schools, the county social workers and from the medical community. I tend to think that I wish that you could have had that as well, but I'm not sure how you feel about it. My son did spend 6 months in foster care because I came to a breaking point when he was about 1 1/2 years old and asked the courts to take him until I could get more help and understand him better. I spent that time researching and advocating to get him help. Working with the county we also finally figured out he was deaf. He had surgery when he was in foster care and improved significantly and the head banging and constant crying stopped. I was able to fully care for him once he could hear again. The fluid on his ears was apparently from the birth injuries and was never addressed.

[sofa king]

30. Do you think she might be bipolar?

I recently watched a great documentary, The Devil and Daniel Johnson, and while I've paid virtually no attention to this person's rise to fame, I noted that her behavior reminded me a lot of his.

[Captain Hilts]

32. We just don't know enough to speculate about stuff like that. I think what we do know

provides an adequate explanation for her behavior.

I know that folks now think that Vince Lombardi, for example, was bi-polar.

[sofa king]

33. Forgive me, but what do we know?

I really haven't been paying attention to this. Does she have some other problem?

[Captain Hilts]

34. She was oxygen-deprived at birth and that generated learning disabilities of some kind.

Being bi-polar might be a part of that mix and might not.

We just don't know.

[Captain Hilts]

35. And some folks were speculating on her having been molested as a kid.

We just don't know.

[sofa king]

45. Thank you.

I wish her the very best. Fame, however, is always a double-edged sword.

[Captain Hilts]

47. Yes, it certainly is. I'll keep my fingers crossed for her. nt

[MADem]

53. No. She was brain damaged due to oxygen deprivation at birth.

See the discussion upthread. This isn't uncommon when the brain has suffered that sort of insult.

[Odin2005]

61. Bipolar is not uncommon with people with brain damage, IIRC.

[rosesaylavee]

80. I could do that!

But seriously, hope she surrounds herself with some seriously devoted friends and/or employees to help her navigate thru this.

[MADem]

81. There's nothing like good "body work." It really does make life easier.

I've had a couple of experiences in my previous career with people who had bodyguards, and the good ones really can clear paths very diplomatically and efficiently and make it so much easier to get from point A to point B. They do work hard, though--they're perpetually hypervigilant.

I hope she gets good people, too--and a family member or two who will tell her the truth when she needs that.

[Captain Hilts]

82. All famous folks need to have peeps with them. nt

[stevewarner]

89. The Linden Method Discussions

Hello, My name is Steve. I am very intersted in The Linden Method, that was created by Charles Linden. The Linden Method really impressed me. This method doesn’t just treat your psychological symptoms to eradicate your anxiety, it actually makes physical changes to the part of the brain that is responsible for your struggling. For more info, check out at http://www.anxietycuresreview.com/the-linden-method-review.

[MADem]

2. She's going to do the Fourth of July shindig. Hope it isn't too hot, or

that they manage to cool the stage so it's not unbearable for the acts.

Her handlers ought to get her here a week or two early so she can acclimate.

[Captain Hilts]

3. Wonder what she'll sing?

I always stay in town for the 4th because the roads are a disaster.

I might have to make my way downtown.

[MADem]

54. I'd like to hear her do that TITANIC song. Yeah, I know it's hokey.

But I think it's been long enough since chest-thumping Celine has done it, and I suspect that old Sue just might give it a different twist. She could make it interesting with the right arrangement.

[Demeter]

4. It Will Be Recorded and LipSynched

that's the way it's done.

[donheld]

72. OIC

:eyes:

[Captain Hilts]

17. That's a good point. In 1939 King George and Queen Mum damn near died

of the heat in DC the first week of June. July 4th is worse.

[CTyankee]

37. That was before air conditioning was invented.

Air conditioning has made D.C. tolerable in the summer. Still, when I was living there just going out to your car in the high humidity would wreck you...

[Captain Hilts]

39. That's right. I don't know if they have blowers at outdoor events or if they work well.

Trivia: the Dept. of Interior bldg. was the first designed for central air conditioning.



The White House could have had A/C but FDR did not like what it did to his sinuses. For the same reason, the private quarters of the White House were painted only rarely - when the knew FDR was going to be out of town for a couple of weeks. Instead, the rooms used by FDR had that nicotine patina.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

6. I'm not a fan of Susan Boyle

why do we have this shoved on us every day? I'm sorry.

[Tripmann]

7. Probably because there are a lot of people who care deeply..

..about the welfare of this woman, and news of her well being is highly anticipated.

[Tarc]

15. I'm not either. Her 15 minutes have expired, but the media tried to keep it rolling

[Captain Hilts]

16. She is now the poster woman for the fact that we should not pre-judge people based on appearance.

Life has shit/shat on her quite a bit and now she's getting her time in the sun. Good for her.

But, we have a lot of preconceptions about people and homely and/or fat people get it the worst.

Especially if you are female. You are repressed, uptight, or an old lesbian. Rejected. You're a lesbian because you can't get a man to want you. Honestly, folks think that's true. As if men are that picky!

At age 47 you're not supposed to have a libido at all.

She touches both those bases. And the press refers to her as a 'spinster'. Doesn't have the ring to it that 'bachelor' has, does it? It's not meant to.

Women in the public eye are pre-judged horribly.

Look at QEII. Who here knows she loathed Nancy Reagan and, evidently, does a fantastic imitation of her? Really. Liz is a darned good mimic they say. Folks assume is a dried up stump on a log because when she is at public events she has to have either her party smile or her game face on. There's more to Liz.

Folks assumed the same shit about Katharine Hepburn. She's too skinny, brash and homely to get a guy. Must be an old lesbian. Think again. Like QEII she was always labeled to be humorless. Which simply was not true. Again, dried up old spinster.

Eleanor Roosevelt was seen as cornering the big, homely and uptight markets all for herself. Said to be humorless also. Guess what, a lot of folks saw her humor - even Harold Ickes saw this. And guess what, she was FAR better looking in real life. FDR noted that no one looked better in an evening gown than she did. A guess what, she had a drop-dead handsome lover throughout the 1930s. Good for her. So much for uptight.

Popular culture just likes to pigeon-hole women who do not have the more flamboyant charms. It's unfair.

Susan Boyle has talent. She's got some problems. But in a caring or controlled environment, she can have a great singing career.

Just as folks understand that many of us really want to see this country's first black president succeed because he represents something bigger than himself, folks want Susan Boyle to do so too for the same reason. We're rooting for them both.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

46. there are many like Susan Boyle but

the point I am making is that I'm tired of the media shoving all these stories on to us. She has a fine voice and she looks a nice person but there are many Susan Boyle's. I don't like hype.

[Karenina]

65. The hype is part of the mix and NO there are NOT many Susan Boyles.

She is 1 of 1. The woman has made MEDIA HISTORY.

You really needn't read any hype in which you have no interest. However, if it SO bothers you that others DO have an interest in something in which you have none AND feel the need to inject your lack of interest into the discussion, perhaps THAT NEEDINESS is fodder ripe for dissection!

[Rosa Luxemburg]

83. I'm not interested in hyped up talent shows I guess

the nation is consumed with the likes of American Idol and even reaching over the Atlantic to the British equivalent!

[Karenina]

87. FINE, Rosa. It's all good. ROSA LUXEMBURG CAN YOU PLEASE GO NOW?

:shrug:

[Captain Hilts]

88. German authorities think they found Luxemburg's corpse. Though the head

seems to be missing.

[GardeningGal]

50. +1 - excellent response n/t

[Codeine]

70. The irony, of course,

is that those same folks are judging her on just that -- making her special and unique because she's homely but can kinda sing. Honestly, she's better-than-average vocalist, but that's really it. Nothing terribly magnificent going on except that people are trying to use her to make a point.

[Captain Hilts]

79. That's true, in part. On that Youtube clip people saw the audience - and judges -

ridicule her, and then have to eat their hats, as it were.

When you think about it, folks often choose their musical tastes to make a point, that's why they sell so many t-shirts and so forth so that folks can carry that banner publicly.

That said, I was recently at a dinner that included several church choir directors and they were talking about the couple of things that Boyle did that demonstrate true talent. It's lost on me as the only instrument I play is the CD player. But folks in the know see/hear something that I do not.

[MADem]

85. .....the only instrument I play is the CD player!!!

Thank you for my morning laugh!

But you underestimate yourself--I'll bet you're a dab hand at the radio, the record player (a rarely used instrument, today, but some of us still have the skills to play that unusual humdinger) and the cable music channels as well!

[NJCher]

73. terrific post

As a writing teacher, I love it when someone "hits one out of the ballpark."

DU's got talent!


Cher

[bitchkitty]

75. Brava!

You summed up everything I feel about this issue.

I also wonder why people with no medical or psychiatric training at all decide to start diagnosing a woman they have never even met.

[Captain Hilts]

78. Thanks, Bitch!

Folks have brought some personal experiences to this thread that have taught me a lot.

[MADem]

19. "HIDE THREAD" is your friend. I think she has a wonderful vocal quality.

I'm picky, too. I like the way her voice sounds, and I like the way she sings a song. She is a unique woman.

[Dappleganger]

21. Wow, I am SO SORRY

that you do not have the freedom to overlook threads which don't interest you!

[BlueJessamine]

38. ...

:fistbump:

[hlthe2b]

36. why not just ignore her and any posts about her, then?

:shrug:

[xchrom]

8. go susan!

:applause:

[Dinger]

9. I'm Glad To Hear This. And I Hope A CD Or Album

comes out soon. Go Susan!

[spiritual_gunfighter]

10. Who cares n/t

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

12. Everyone here but you.

:shrug:

[Captain Hilts]

29. Yeah. And while we're at it, too bad someone gave Larry Bird a basketball.

What if Bird hadn't been handed a basketball?

What if Boyle hadn't had the chance to sing before a large audience?

[TNDemo]

11. I have a Susan question.

Why did she sing the same song for the final that she originally sang? I thought they always wanted to do different songs so they wouldn't look like a one trick pony.

[Captain Hilts]

13. I wondered the same thing, but, evidently, that is a VERY common practice in these things.

Beats me why.

[sweettater]

14. I read

that singing the same song is a requirement. Maybe to see if it is sung better or worse. I her case it was better. She is phenomenal. :applause: GO, SUSAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MADem]

20. Paul Potts did the same thing.

In her case, though, I think it was a bit of an anthem--and expression of wish, a story arc, if you will.

Also, I think she was too flipped out to practice another song with full orchestra (they give them the full backup at the finals--not tapes).

[Dappleganger]

22. There's a word for it

It's called anxiety, not 'flipped out.'

[MADem]

24. No, she was flipped out. That's why she went to Priory.

Sanctimonious, much?

[Dappleganger]

25. No

It's very disheartening to see DU'ers using discriminatory words, that's all.

[MADem]

26. Those are not "discriminatory words."

You're being excessively and stupidly PC, but I view your lame attempt at scolding as frankly, foolish.

It's "disheartening" to see someone finger wag so pointlessly.

People actually DO "flip out." There's nothing "discriminatory" about the term. It describes a situation, and it does so accurately.

You have a nice, didactic day now. Don't fall off that high horse!

[nichomachus]

42. Lighten up

There are people whose whole existence is tied up in looking for things to take offense at. If they can't find at least one an hour, they will flip out.

Leave them alone.

[MADem]

51. Heh, heh.

:rofl:

Where's that Leave Britney Alone guy when ya need him, I guess!

[Captain Hilts]

60. Man, I still laugh my ass off when I see that thing on Youtube. nt

[Odin2005]

28. I flip out a lot because of my Asperger's, I don't consider the term "discriminatory"

[MADem]

55. Are you smart as a whip, too?

I have a family member who is, I think, "blessed" with Asperger's. The family historian, who can tell you your phone number forty years ago, who remembers languages we used to speak in our youth but haven't used in eons! Talk about a memory!

This relative will passively avoid doing anything that's not of interest, which can get annoying if things need to be done (we work around it, now), but it's made up for with the sheer volume of knowledge crammed in that cranium. Amazing retentive capacity--like a human encyclopedia!

[Odin2005]

58. LOL, I was called the walking encyclopedia when I was in elementary school

A lot of it was simply rote memorization at the time but as I've matured into a 20-something the knowledge matured into a breadth of understanding that really amazes people, connecting together seemingly unrelated facts from different areas; which is why I suspect that German historian Oswald Spengler (author of The Decline of the West, the first historical work to treat history from a multi-cultural, not a Eurocentric, perspective) had Asperger's, he linked together seemingly unrelated aspects of a civilization culture (say, Gothic cathedrals, oil painting, Calculus, and Baroque-age music for the West} as facets of an deep, underlying metaphysical mindset held by the people of that civilization (for us it's a grasping into "Infinite Space"}, Spengler's breadth of knowledge seems to have been that typical for highly intelligent people with Asperger's.

Albert Einstein, Immanuel Kant, and Ludwig Wittgenstein are also thought by some to have had Asperger's

[MADem]

64. Yep, you're smart as a whip! Good for you!! nt

[Odin2005]

66. Thanx!

:)

[BlueJessamine]

41. And anxiety leads to mental and physical exhaustion.

Ms. Boyle needs lots of TLC and support from her family, friends and her fans.:grouphug:

[Captain Hilts]

48. Ask Jim Morrison, Judy Garland, Janis Joplin, Whitney Houston...etc. nt

[Odin2005]

62. I know how that goes.

I have severe social anxiety and sensory sensitivities and it often takes me a couple days to recover from some party or danceI go to with tons of people and lots of noise. People wrongly think "introverted" means "unsociable", which is not correct, it's just that interaction with a lot of people for a long period of time leaves us extremely drained mentally, while extroverts are just the opposite.

[Captain Hilts]

67. So, for some folks such as yourself, it's not about capability, but about capacity? nt

[Odin2005]

69. Yes.

"reading people" is extremely mentally exhausting for me, which is why when I am with people I prefer to be in a small group of close friendŝ.

[ecstatic]

23. She'll fit right in here!

Alongside headlines of Lindsay Lohan, Paris, and Britney Spears! LOL

[AngryAmish]

31. Suan Boyle

[Karenina]

40. I'm so happy to read this post!

I do so wish that those who have no interest would employ their scroll buttons or the wonderful "hide thread" function and

LEAVE US THE FUCK ALONE!!!

[BlueJessamine]

43. Thanks Karenina!

:hi:

I like so many others here wish all the best for Susan Boyle.

[Turborama]

44. K&R Glad to hear she's getting better n/t

[Captain Hilts]

49. And, remember, BJ, THE most popular Beatle in the US was...Ringo. She'll do fine.

Bet she'll like meeting a Portuguese Water Dog and checking out the swingset.

[Odin2005]

63. OMG, that is an AWSOME picture!

Obama and Hillary talking diplomacy by the swing? :)

[Captain Hilts]

68. They got the world on a swing....nt

[kestrel91316]

57. As someone who is a bit prone to emotional meltdowns (though not this

severe), she has my sympathy.

Bless her heart. I hope she is able to have some level of musical career and make some money from it. She is really an amazing talent.

[Captain Hilts]

59. I hope some folks get a better understanding of folks with learning disabilities from Boyle. I know

I have.

[Captain Hilts]

86. UPDATE from the Daily Torygraph...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/susan-boyle/5468582/Susan-Boyle-feeling-fantastic-after-leaving-rehab-clinic.html

...

Miss Boyle's brother John said: "I have spoken to Susan and she is very excited and positive about the future. She told me, 'Don't worry. I'm having the time of my life.' She said she felt fantastic and couldn't wait to come back home this weekend.
"She was giggling away and sounded more relaxed than she has in ages. She suffers from these mood swings, so I hope that now she's out of the clinic she's OK."

He also spoke of her mild learning difficulties and that the producers of Britain's Got Talent could have handled her better. "She was put under extreme pressure and I don't think they handled the situation well," he said. "These were exceptional circumstances and they had a duty of care towards her.

"I'm very angry about it. They could have done more to help Susan. She can be very influenced by other people. She never listens to her family. It's part of her slight disability. She's very naïve."