ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Ruby Wax - Comedian and Mental Health Activist
Ruby Wax is a loud, funny woman -- who spent much of her comedy career battling depression in silence. Now her work blends mental health advocacy and laughs.

Why you should listen

Winston Churchill called it "the Black Dog" -- a depression that settled over him and drained the flavor from life. Ruby Wax knows the Black Dog well; throughout the '80s and '90s, during a flourishing career as a brash comedian and interviewer in the UK, it trotted at her heels, even while she was interviewing the Duchess of York and sorting through Imelda Marcos' shoes.

After taking a timeout to learn how to manage the condition, Wax produced a stand-up comedy show called "Losing It" that directly addresses her mental health experiences, hilariously but powerfully. And she's started up a new social network called the Black Dog Tribe, which offers a community and support to people with depression. Meanwhile, she's working on her Master's in cognitive therapy.

Also, this year, Ruby was honored as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her mental health work.

As she says: "I've always said to myself, if you've got a disability, use it." Read our Q&A with Ruby Wax >>

Ruby is also a visiting professor at The University of Surrey.

More profile about the speaker
Ruby Wax | Speaker | TED.com

TEDGlobal 2012

Ruby Wax: What's so funny about mental illness?

Ruby Wax: Zer du gaixotasun psikikoak hain barregarria izateko?

Filmed: 2012-06-26

Readability: 3.1

2,813,839 views

Gorputzeko gaixotasunek sinpatia lortzen dute, garunekoek izan ezik, dio Ruby Wax komikoak. Zergatik hori? Indar eta umore itsugarriz, Wax-ek, zeinari orain dela hamarkada bat depresio klinikoa diagnostikatu zioten, gaixotasun psikikoen estigma amaitzeko eskatzen digu.

Ruby Wax - Comedian and Mental Health Activist
Ruby Wax is a loud, funny woman -- who spent much of her comedy career battling depression in silence. Now her work blends mental health advocacy and laughs. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:15

One in four people suffer from some sort of mental illness,

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Lau pertsonetatik batek gaixotasun
psikikoren bat jasango du,

beraz, bat, bi, hiru, lau, zu zara jauna.

00:19

so if it was one, two, three, four, it's you, sir.

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Bai, zu. (Barreak)

00:24

You. Yeah. (Laughter)

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Hortz arraroduna. Eta zu,
ondokoa. (Barreak)

00:25

With the weird teeth. And you next to him. (Laughter)

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Zuk badakizu zein zaren.

00:29

You know who you are.

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00:30

Actually, that whole row isn't right. (Laughter)

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Egiaz, ilara guzti hori ez dago
ongi. (Barreak)

00:32

That's not good. Hi. Yeah. Real bad. Don't even look at me. (Laughter)

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Hori ere ez dago ongi.

Kaixo, bai. Oso gaizki. Ezta niri
begiratu ere. (Barreak)

00:37

I am one of the one in four. Thank you.

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Ni, lautik horietatik bat naiz.
Eskerrik asko.

Uste dut nire amarengandik heredatu nuela.

00:42

I think I inherit it from my mother, who,

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Etxean zehar lau oinean ibiltzen zen.

00:45

used to crawl around the house on all fours.

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Esku bakoitzean esponja bana
jartzen zituen,

00:48

She had two sponges in her hand, and then she had two

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eta belaunetan beste bi lotuta.

00:51

tied to her knees. My mother was completely absorbent. (Laughter)

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Nire amak erabat xurgatzen zintuen.
(Barreak)

00:56

And she would crawl around behind me going,

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Eta nire atzetik lau oinetan ibiltzen zen,
esanez:

00:58

"Who brings footprints into a building?!"

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Nork uzten ditu oinatzak etxean?

Eta hori gauzak ongi ez zeudela

01:02

So that was kind of a clue that things weren't right.

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ohartzeko zantzu bat zen.

01:04

So before I start, I would like to thank

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Beraz, hasi baino lehen,

hasi baino lehen,

lamotrigina, sertralina eta reboxetina

01:09

the makers of Lamotrigine, Sertraline, and Reboxetine,

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asmatu zutenei eskerrak eman nahi nizkieke,

botika horiek gabe

01:14

because without those few simple chemicals, I would not be vertical today.

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ez nintzakelako hemen zutik egongo.

Beraz,

01:19

So how did it start?

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Eta nola hasi zen?

Nire gaixotasun psikikoa --

01:24

My mental illness -- well, I'm not even going to talk about my mental illness.

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beno ez dut nire

gaixotasunari buruz hitz egingo.

01:28

What am I going to talk about? Okay.

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Zerri buruz hitz egingo dut orduan?
Ongi da.

01:30

I always dreamt that, when I had my final breakdown,

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Beti amestu nuen,

nire azken krisia,

errebelazioa kafkiar

01:34

it would be because I had a deep Kafkaesque

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existentzialista sakona,

01:37

existentialist revelation,

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eduki nuelako izango zela,

01:39

or that maybe Cate Blanchett would play me and she would win an Oscar for it. (Laughter)

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edo agian, Cate Blanchett-ek nire papera egin,

eta horregatik Oscar bat irabazi zuelako
jasango nuela. (Barreak)

01:44

But that's not what happened. I had my breakdown

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Baina hori ez da gertatu zena.

Nire krisia,

01:47

during my daughter's sports day.

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nire alabaren kirol
egunean etorri zen.

01:49

There were all the parents sitting in a parking lot

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Han zeuden guraso guztiak,

aparkaleku batean exerita,

autoen atzekaldean hamaiketakoa
jaten,

01:53

eating food out of the back of their car -- only the English --

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-- Ingelesak bakarrik --

01:57

eating their sausages. They loved their sausages. (Laughter)

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beraien saltxitxak janez.

Maite dituzte saltxitxak. (Barreak)

Lord eta Lady Rigor Mortis

02:03

Lord and Lady Rigor Mortis were nibbling on the tarmac,

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errepide bazterrean jaten ari ziren,

pistolak tiro egin,

02:07

and then the gun went off and all the girlies started running,

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eta neska guztiak korrika hasi ziren,

02:10

and all the mummies went, "Run! Run Chlamydia! Run!" (Laughter)

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eta ama guztiak garrasika:

Korri! Korri Clamidia! Korri! (Barreak)

Korri, haizeak bezala, Veruca! Korri!

02:15

"Run like the wind, Veruca! Run!"

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Eta neska guztiak korrika zioazen,

02:19

And all the girlies, girlies running, running, running,

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nire alaba izan ezik,

02:21

everybody except for my daughter, who was just standing

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geldirik, irteera lerroan baitzegoen

02:24

at the starting line, just waving,

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agurtzen,

korri egin behar zuela

02:27

because she didn't know she was supposed to run.

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ez zekielako.

02:30

So I took to my bed for about a month, and when I woke up

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Ohean egon nintzen ia hilabetez,

eta esnatu nintzenean,

02:34

I found I was institutionalized, and when I saw the other inmates,

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ospitaleratuta nengoela konturatu nintzen

eta beste gaixoak ikusi nituenean,

02:38

I realized that I had found my people, my tribe. (Laughter)

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nire jendea aurkitu nuela konturatu
nintzen,

nire tribua. (Barreak)

Nire lagun bakarrak bihurtu ziren,

02:43

Because they became my only friends, they became my friends,

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nire lagunak bihurtu ziren,

02:46

because very few people that I knew -- Well, I wasn't

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zeren ezagutzen nituenetatik gutxik; beno,

ez zidaten lore edo txartelik bidaltzen.

02:49

sent a lot of cards or flowers. I mean, if I had had a broken leg

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Hau da,

hanka bat hautsi edo erditu izan banu,

02:53

or I was with child I would have been inundated,

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gainezka egongo nintzateke,

02:55

but all I got was a couple phone calls telling me to perk up.

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baina dei pare bat besterik ez nituen jaso,

alaitzeko esanez.

02:59

Perk up.

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Alaitu.

03:00

Because I didn't think of that. (Laughter)

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Zeren, noski, niri ez zitzaidan bururatu. (Barreak)

(Barreak) (Txaloak)

03:05

(Laughter) (Applause)

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03:08

Because, you know, the one thing, one thing that you get with this disease,

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Gaixotasun honek zerbait gehiago dakar,

03:13

this one comes with a package, is you get a real sense of shame,

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zama bat,

lotsa sentsazio izugarria da,

zure lagunek diotelako:

03:16

because your friends go, "Oh come on, show me the lump,

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"Erakutsi konkorra,

erakutsi erradiografia",

03:19

show me the x-rays," and of course you've got nothing to show,

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baina noski, ez dago erakusteko ezer.

03:21

so you're, like, really disgusted with yourself because you're thinking,

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Beraz, oso gaizki sentitzen zara zure buruarekin,

pentsatzen duzulako:

03:24

"I'm not being carpet-bombed. I don't live in a township."

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"Ez dira ni bonbardatzen ari,

ez naiz herri batean bizi"

Beraz ahots zakar horiek entzuten hasten zara,

03:27

So you start to hear these abusive voices, but you don't hear one abusive voice,

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baina ez bakarra,

mila entzuten dituzu -- 100,000 ahots
zakar,

03:31

you hear about a thousand -- 100,000 abusive voices,

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03:33

like if the Devil had Tourette's, that's what it would sound like.

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Deabruak Tourette sindromea edukiko
balu bezala, horrela entzungo genuke.

Baina denok dakigu hemen

03:37

But we all know in here, you know, there is no Devil,

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deabrua
ez dela existitzen,

03:40

there are no voices in your head.

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eta ez dugula ahotsik buruan.

Badakizue, ahots zakarrak entzutean,

03:42

You know that when you have those abusive voices,

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03:44

all those little neurons get together and in that little gap

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neurona txiki guzti horiek elkartu

eta espazio txiki hori "neure buruaz beste"

03:47

you get a real toxic "I want to kill myself" kind of chemical,

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egin nahi dut bezalako sustantzia toxikoz
betetzen dela, eta

03:50

and if you have that over and over again on a loop tape,

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hau behin eta berriz gertatuz gero,
grabazio errepikakor bat bezala,

03:53

you might have yourself depression.

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depresioa eduki dezakezula.

03:55

Oh, and that's not even the tip of the iceberg.

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Ah, eta hori icebergaren punta
besterik ez da.

03:58

If you get a little baby, and you abuse it verbally,

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Haur bat edukiz gero, eta hitzezko tratu
txarrak jasaten baditu,

04:01

its little brain sends out chemicals that are so destructive

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bere garunak seinale kimiko hain suntsigarriak
bidaltzen ditu,

04:05

that the little part of its brain that can tell good from bad just doesn't grow,

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garunean ongi dagoena eta gaizki dagoena
bereizten dituen zatia ez dela garatzen,

04:09

so you might have yourself a homegrown psychotic.

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beraz etxean egindako psikotiko bat
edukiko duzu zerorrek.

04:12

If a soldier sees his friend blown up, his brain goes into

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Soldadu batek bere laguna lehertzen
ikusten badu,

bere garuna halako
alarma egoerara doa,

04:15

such high alarm that he can't actually put the experience into words,

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ezin duela
esperientzia hitzez adierazi,

04:19

so he just feels the horror over and over again.

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beraz, basakeria hori behin eta berriz
sentitzen du.

04:22

So here's my question. My question is, how come

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Hemen doa nire galdera.

Nire galdera da,
nolatan esaten dugu

04:24

when people have mental damage, it's always an active imagination?

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jendeak buruan kaltea duenean, imaginazio
hiperaktiboa dela ?

04:28

How come every other organ in your body can get sick

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Nolatan senti dezakegu enpatia

gorputzeko edozein organotan mina dugunean,

04:31

and you get sympathy, except the brain?

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garunean izan ezik?

04:34

I'd like to talk a little bit more about the brain,

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Garunari buruz gehiago hitz egin nahiko nuke,

04:37

because I know you like that here at TED,

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hemen, TEDen, gustatzen zaizuela baitakit.

04:39

so if you just give me a minute here, okay.

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Minutu bat ematen badidazue, ongi.

Ongi, utzidazue esaten, berri onak
badaudela.

04:42

Okay, let me just say, there's some good news.

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04:44

There is some good news. First of all, let me say,

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Hasteko, utzidazue esaten oso, oso

04:47

we've come a long, long way.

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urrun iritsi garela.

Zelula bakarreko ameba txiki bat
ginela hasi ginen,

04:50

We started off as a teeny, teeny little one-celled amoeba,

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arroka bati itsatsirik, eta orain, voilá, garuna.

04:54

tiny, just sticking onto a rock, and now, voila, the brain.

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04:58

Here we go. (Laughter)

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Bagoaz. (Barreak)

05:00

This little baby has a lot of horsepower.

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Pitxi honek potentzia handia du.

05:03

It comes completely conscious. It's got state-of-the-art lobes.

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Erabat konsziente dela dator. Merkatuko
lobulurik onenak ditu.

05:07

We've got the occipital lobe so we can actually see the world.

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Lobulu okzipitala dugu, mundua ikusi
ahal izateko.

05:11

We got the temporal lobe so we can actually hear the world.

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Lobulu tenporala dugu, mundua entzun
ahal izateko.

05:13

Here we've got a little bit of long-term memory,

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Hemen, epe luzerako oroimenaren zati
bat dugu,

05:15

so, you know that night you want to forget, when you got really drunk? Bye-bye! Gone. (Laughter)

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beraz, mozkortu zineten eta ahaztu nahi
duzuen gau hura? Agur! Ez dago. (Barreak)

05:20

So actually, it's filled with 100 billion neurons

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100 mila milioi neurona txinpartatsuz
beteta dago,

05:23

just zizzing away, electrically transmitting information,

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informazioa elektrikoki trasmititzen,

05:27

zizzing, zizzing. I'm going to give you a little side view here.

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txinpartaz beterik.

Alde hau erakutsiko dizuet.

05:29

I don't know if you can get that here. (Laughter)

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Ez dakit hortik ikusten duzuen. (Barreak)

Beraz, txinpartaz, ... (Barreak)

05:33

So, zizzing away, and so — (Laughter) —

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Eta bakoitzeko, badakit, neronek marraztu dut.
Eskerrik asko.

05:37

And for every one — I know, I drew this myself. Thank you.

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Neurona bakoitzeko,

05:41

For every one single neuron, you can actually have

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10 000tik eta 100 000ra

05:44

from 10,000 to 100,000 different connections

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konexio edo dendrita dituzte,

05:48

or dendrites or whatever you want to call it, and every time

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05:51

you learn something, or you have an experience,

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eta zerbait ikasten duzun bakoitzean,

edo bizitzen duzunean,

05:54

that bush grows, you know, that bush of information.

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sare hori hazi egiten da,

badakizue, informazio sarea.

05:56

Can you imagine, every human being is carrying

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Imaginatu dezakezue, pertsona bakoitzak

ahalmen hori daramala

05:59

that equipment, even Paris Hilton? (Laughter)

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baita Paris Hiltonek ere? (Barreak)

06:04

Go figure.

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Imaginatu.

Baina berri txar gutxi batzuk ditut.
Berri txarrak.

06:06

But I got a little bad news for you folks. I got some bad news.

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06:09

This isn't for the one in four. This is for the four in four.

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Hau ez da lautik batentzat.

Hau lautik laurentzat da.

06:12

We are not equipped for the 21st century.

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Ez gaude XXI. menderako prest.

06:16

Evolution did not prepare us for this. We just don't have the bandwidth,

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Eboluzioak ez gintuen honetarako prestatu.

Ez dugu banda zabalera nahikoa,

06:20

and for people who say, oh, they're having a nice day,

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eta egun ona pasatzen ari direla diotenak,

06:23

they're perfectly fine, they're more insane than the rest of us.

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ongi daudela diotenak,

gutako edozein baino eroago daude.

06:26

Because I'll show you where there might be a few glitches

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Eboluzioaren akatsak non egon

06:29

in evolution. Okay, let me just explain this to you.

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daitezkeen erakutsiko dizuet.

06:31

When we were ancient man — (Laughter) —

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Gizaki primitiboak ginenean, (barreak),

06:35

millions of years ago, and we suddenly felt threatened

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orain dela milioika urte,

bat-batean harrapakari batengatik

mehatxatuak sentitzen ginenean, bai...? (Barreak)

06:39

by a predator, okay? — (Laughter) —

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Gu, eskerrik asko, neronek marraztu dut. (Barreak)

06:42

we would — Thank you. I drew these myself. (Laughter)

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Eskerrik asko. Eskerrik asko. (Txaloak)

06:45

Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. (Applause)

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06:49

Thank you. Anyway, we would fill up with our own adrenaline

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Eskerrik asko. Laburbilduz, gure
berezko adrenalinaz,

berezko kortisolaz betetzen ginen,

06:53

and our own cortisol, and then we'd kill or be killed,

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eta hil egiten genuen edo
hil egiten gintuzten,

06:56

we'd eat or we'd be eaten, and then suddenly we'd de-fuel,

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jan egiten genituen, edo
jan egiten gintuzten, eta

06:59

and we'd go back to normal. Okay.

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deskargatu egiten ginen,
normaltasunera itzuliz.

07:01

So the problem is, nowadays, with modern man— (Laughter) —

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Arazoa da, gaur egun, gizaki modernoarekin,
... (Barreak)

07:06

when we feel in danger, we still fill up with our own chemical

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Arriskua sentitzen dugunean,

oraindik sustantziez betetzen garela,

07:10

but because we can't kill traffic wardens — (Laughter) —

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baina trafiko udaltzaina ezin dugunez hil,
(barreak)

07:15

or eat estate agents, the fuel just stays in our body

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funtzionarioa ezin dugunez jan,

erregaia gorputzean geratzen da,

07:19

over and over, so we're in a constant state of alarm,

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behin betiko, eta etengabeko
alerta egoeran gaude.

07:22

a constant state. And here's another thing that happened.

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07:24

About 150,000 years ago, when language came online,

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Orain dela 150 000 urte, hizkuntza
agertu zenean,

07:27

we started to put words to this constant emergency,

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alarma egoera horri hitzak jartzen
hasi ginen,

07:29

so it wasn't just, "Oh my God, there's a saber-toothed tiger,"

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"Ene bada, tigre bat", baina

"Oh, ene bada, ez nuen
email hori bidali.

07:32

which could be, it was suddenly, "Oh my God, I didn't send the email. Oh my God, my thighs are too fat.

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Ene bada, nire izterrak handiegiak dira

07:36

Oh my God, everybody can see I'm stupid. I didn't get invited to the Christmas party!"

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Oh, ene bada, denok dakite leloa naizela.

Ez naute Gabon festara gonbidatu!"

07:40

So you've got this nagging loop tape that goes

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Behin eta berriz entzuten dugun
grabazio hau dugu,

eta erotu egiten gaitu, orduan

07:42

over and over again that drives you insane, so,

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ikusten duzue arazoa?

07:45

you see what the problem is? What once made you safe

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Behin onik mantendu gintuenak,

07:48

now drives you insane.

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orain erotu egiten gaitu.

Sentitzen dut berri txar hau
ematearen arduraduna izatea,

07:50

I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but somebody has to be.

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baina norbaitek egin behar zuen.

07:53

Your pets are happier than you are. (Laughter)

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Zuen abereak, zuek baino
zoriontsuagoak dira. (Barreak)

(Txaloak)

07:59

(Applause)

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08:02

So kitty cat, meow, happy happy happy, human beings, screwed. (Laughter)

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Beraz, katutxoak miau, pozik, pozik

gizakiak, izorratuta.

08:07

Completely and utterly -- so, screwed.

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Izorratuta.

08:09

But my point is, if we don't talk about this stuff,

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Baina esan nahi dut,

gauza hauetaz hitz egiten hasten

08:12

and we don't learn how to deal with our lives, it's not going

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ez bagara

eta ez badugu gure bizitza aurrera
ateratzen ikasten,

08:14

to be one in four. It's going to be four in four

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ez dira lautik bat izango,
lautik lau baizik.

08:16

who are really, really going to get ill in the upstairs department.

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Lautik lau gaixotuko dira goiko solairutik.

08:20

And while we're at it, can we please stop the stigma?

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Eta horretan gaudela,

baztertu dezakegu mesedez estigma?

08:22

Thank you. (Applause)

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Eskerrik asko. (Txaloak)

(Txaloak) Eskerrik asko.

08:29

(Applause) Thank you.

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Translated by Kontxi Larrañaga
Reviewed by Jone Aliri

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Ruby Wax - Comedian and Mental Health Activist
Ruby Wax is a loud, funny woman -- who spent much of her comedy career battling depression in silence. Now her work blends mental health advocacy and laughs.

Why you should listen

Winston Churchill called it "the Black Dog" -- a depression that settled over him and drained the flavor from life. Ruby Wax knows the Black Dog well; throughout the '80s and '90s, during a flourishing career as a brash comedian and interviewer in the UK, it trotted at her heels, even while she was interviewing the Duchess of York and sorting through Imelda Marcos' shoes.

After taking a timeout to learn how to manage the condition, Wax produced a stand-up comedy show called "Losing It" that directly addresses her mental health experiences, hilariously but powerfully. And she's started up a new social network called the Black Dog Tribe, which offers a community and support to people with depression. Meanwhile, she's working on her Master's in cognitive therapy.

Also, this year, Ruby was honored as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her mental health work.

As she says: "I've always said to myself, if you've got a disability, use it." Read our Q&A with Ruby Wax >>

Ruby is also a visiting professor at The University of Surrey.

More profile about the speaker
Ruby Wax | Speaker | TED.com

THE ORIGINAL VIDEO ON TED.COM

Ruby Wax: Zer du gaixotasun psikikoak hain barregarria izateko? | TED Talk | TED.com