"Bones" actor on his bipolar disorder

There are many TV shows -- especially now that there are so many new programs on cable -- that I've never watched. With me, it's hit-or-miss as to whether I'll give a new show a chance. Something needs to hook me, and it's unpredictable as to what that something has to be. It may be a particular actor, although that's not a hard rule -- some actors in shows I loved moved on to other projects, and moved on without me. Or, the show features a gay character or storyline, although again, not always. Sometimes it's just a clever promo from the network. In the case of the Fox show Bones it was "Eric Millegan's NBA Trash Talk."

Bones debuted in September 2005, but at the time I wasn't hooked. Then, last fall, I stumbled upon some YouTube videos in which Eric Millegan talked about the NBA and his favorite team, the Portland Trail Blazers. I can't even remember how I found them, and I'm not really into the NBA, but I thought they were lots of fun. Each one starts with his vocal rendition of the old "NBA on NBC" theme (which was composed by John Tesh). Once I found out that Eric was openly gay (and was named “Hottest Up-and-Coming Openly Gay Actor of 2003” by Out magazine) I figured it was a perfect fit for the Outsports blog, so I wrote my piece. That eventually led to Eric's appearance on an Outsports podcast.

It also gave me my Bones hook. Eric was a regular on the series for the first three years and has made a couple of guest appearances since. He played Dr. Zack Addy, one of the team of forensic anthropologists working with an FBI special agent (played by Philly's own David Boreanaz). I watched some reruns of on TNT during a New Year's Day marathon, and then started watching the new episodes on Fox. Eventually I caught up on the entire series.

Recently, Eric posted two new YouTube videos -- not about the NBA, but about his bipolar disorder. He was first diagnosed about four years ago, but says he had suffered from the disorder for a time before that. He discusses how it affected him, times when he felt suicidal (although he never attempted to kill himself), and how supportive his family, friends, co-workers and bosses at Bones, etc. have been. He takes some medications to treat it and also sees a therapist and a psychiatrist, and says he has been doing very well for upwards of a year and a half.

Imagine how difficult it is -- not just for people with this condition but for their family and friends, who see their loved ones acting differently (my first thought was to say "acting weird" but...) struggling, in pain, and aren't sure how to help, or even what to say to them. Then there's the health-care system in this country. Imagine how many people aren't properly treated because their coverage is subpar, or because they don't have any coverage at all.

As a fan of Bones -- and of Eric's NBA Trash Talk, let's not forget -- I'm so glad that he's doing so well now. That's basically what I want for anyone -- actors, musicians, athletes, etc. -- who entertains me so much. They make me feel good through their work, so I want them to be happy and have a good life, whether their careers are enormously successful or they're just a one-hit wonder.

In the second video Eric said that he wanted to tell his story so that others who are bipolar can draw some inspiration from it. So watch the videos, pass the links on...actually, pass on the link to this blog, because I am not above shameless self-promotion...and spread the word.