As someone recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder, it infuriates me when people say that this case is paranormal or involved with spirits when obviously she was having a really bad time mentally speaking. Besides that, she was presenting symptoms even before that BUT NO ONE DID ANYTHING. I'm terrified of going out and having an episode because I'm sure no one would help me, not because they don't want, just because mental health is not visible enough and not taught enough in mainstream media. Thank you for the video 💕

Bless her heart. Soon as I saw the lift part I knew it was mania. I m a mental health nurse and I was explaining it to my husband. I think the water cylinder was her mesmerised and thinking it would be exciting to swim. I was saddened to see that nobody tried to help her when they noticed she wasn’t ok :( xx

People's ignorance about the struggles of mental health problems really shows that the education system is lacking when it comes to educating people about psychological issues. It is high time to update our school's curriculum and add psychology classes in many grade levels not just college levels.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: You do not have to wait 24 hours to file a missing person’s report. In fact, once it’s clear someone’s missing, the earlier you file it the better. Especially if they’re a child or a vulnerable adult, such as someone experiencing a psychotic break. The greater the time between when a person goes missing and when they are found, the lower the chances that they will come home safe. If someone you know is acting mentally unwell and they’ve gone missing, file a report right away. Don’t wait. It can literally be the difference between life and death.

It is really sad that people were quicker to think paranormal, conspiracy theory than mental health. There were opportunities to help this lady

It is very sad. The bright side though is that through videos like this, hopefully people can learn to recognize mental illness and know when to act to get help for their loved ones.

My mom has bipolar I with psychosis. She’s fortunately been stable now for quite a few years, but particularly during my teens and twenties she was really struggling. Her manic episodes usually came with anxiety, paranoia and anger rather than grandiosity or an expansive mood. She was very prone to persecutory delusions as well as religious hallucinations, thinking my dad was poisoning her, or that God would punish our family if she didn’t do the right things. Anything you said to her could be twisted. She ran away a couple of times, driven by her psychosis. One time she abruptly left, saying she’d be right back. After she’d been gone for a few hours, we filed a missing person’s report. We didn’t hear from her for three days, and when we did she asked my dad if she should come home or if he should come to her. He said it didn’t matter, she could come to him or she could tell him where to meet her, just so long as she was safe. Her mind twisted it to him saying he didn’t care if she stayed or left. After a few more days we were able to get her on the phone with her psychiatrist, who was able to persuade her stay put and let us meet her. It turned out that she ran off because her mind had twisted a suggestion that we vacation in Canada into a directive from God that she had to go to Canada or else God would turn all of us into a pillar of salt like Lot’s wife. Her situation ended well, with her back at home and with some medication tweaks to get her to a more stable place. It would take another few years before the optimal treatment for her was found. One of the reasons I find the Elisa Lam story so tragic is that my mother’s story could have ended the same way. I’d like to think that the difference was that my mom had us looking out for her, but on a certain level we just got lucky. IMPORTANT INFORMATION: You do not have to wait 24 hours to file a missing person’s report. Especially if the person who is missing is a child or a vulnerable adult, you should file the report as soon as possible. The longer someone is missing, the less likely it is that they will be found safe. If someone who has mental health issues has been behaving as if they are unwell, and they leave abruptly with no contact, it’s probably a good idea to file a report after a few hours. Don’t wait. It can literally be the difference between life and death.

Very sad. Makes me think about my father and his Bipolar 1, and what could have happened if he didn't have people around him trying to help him. At least videos like this bring more awareness to things like this. Thank you 🙏🏼 And great analysis ✨

I've had manic episodes before and i recognize the button pressing not as "let's go here then here then here etc" i think it's actually just "press this and this and this and this" in a pattern simply because the amount of energy pent up is so intense you just do whatever comes to mind. See buttons? Push them cause why not. Maybe something special will happen if i press them like this in this order in this fashion with these fingers in this way this fast for this long. See what I mean? Flights of ideas like you said but i don't think she was hoping to actually go to those floors but instead hoping something would happen.

Commenting before watching; I've been interested in this case since i was a teen and the Netflix doc finally gave me enough info to satisfy my curiosity. After watching; I appreciate this explanation of mania, I still don't really understand mental illness (except I somewhat get the stuff that I'm diagnosed with), and honestly it's really sad that it can be so hard to find accurate information on mental illness. I agree that it's really sad that it isn't widely agreed on that she's experiencing some sort of health crisis/issue. I think it's more clear with the documentary because her tumblr posts were provided that whatever happened was a result of her illness and it's generally just really sad.

The fact that even with all our knowledge about mental illness people still resort to possession and other paranormal phenomena to explain things like this is testament to how poorly circulated that knowledge is. I'd love to see you talk about episodes of Chicago Med, and also to the movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which deals with PTSD.

Thank you so much for this video and for spreading awareness about such topics. It was absolutely infuriating how difficult it was for people (in the documentary) to accept that nothing paranormal was at play or that this was not a murder. The signs were so clearly there

People get so mad when I don’t agree with their conspiracies on this case. It’s a sad story about a girl suffering with mental health issues (little support) and ends in accidental self inflicted death. People don’t want a simple/sad story they want a more “exciting” paranormal government conspiracy... it’s not right.

A friend of mine was having a breakdown and his family did not take seriously what was going on: he started going to Mcdonald's asking for his uncle (he thought that he was the owner) then he was sent to a psy and he had convulsions. Thank God he was sent to a ward for 21 days and he was safe❤

I haven't been diagnosed because I live in the US and it's very difficult to even find a doctor, but I have been to therapy and a lot of the symptoms I get line up with mania. I was talking about it with my mom the other day and she was like "I thought you were just pretending to be happy because you were so easily irritated and then you always became really depressed after you were done". I really wish that mental health was easily accessible so that I could not only get the help that I need/needed but also because it made my parents feel like bad parents and that makes me sad because it wasn't their fault.

I avoid KZfaq videos covering cases where a subject is known to be or speculated to be bipolar as I’m diagnosed. Have watched a handful of your videos over the last week and decided to “trust” you covering Lisa Lam’s case (this one i tend to avoid like the plague as her presentation leaves loads open to ignorant speculation). I’ve been writing and erasing this comment for way too long but all I need to say to you is THANK YOU for your care in covering her story. Thank you😊😊😊😊

Firstly, thank you for this. I just recently discovered your channel and I love your commentary, and your caring and informal discussions on mental health (and health in general.) What frustrates me about this and other cases like this is when it goes viral on the internet and people, instead of suspecting somebody might have been having a mental health episode, instead decide to entertain the delusion. I have seen countless "Who was after her?" speculation videos that never even once entertained the idea she might have been unwell (or they'd just throw it out there as a very quick alternative hypothesis to easily be dismissed.) And don't get me started on videos that show people having mental health episodes and claim they're demonically possessed.

Love your videos man, keep up the good work

Thank you for being so empathetic. Mania sometimes does feel wonderful, but more often it’s uncomfortable, like your skin is two sizes too small, and it’s causes irritation, often with others because they can’t keep up with those flying thoughts. It feels good to be seen. Love your work.

I was diagnosed bipolar 1 three years ago, in hindsight it seems obvious but it really was a shock to most people around me. Seeing this video, I see what she was going through, but unless you know the signs of mania or psychosis there doesn’t seem to be an explanation. I’ve seen other videos describing this video as supernatural when it was really an ill girl in crisis. Thank you for treating this with sincerity, with a gravity that it deserves. This was a death that could have been prevented and your video here hopefully helps educate people so we can all see the signs of someone struggling. Lots of respect, Doc

This video made me anxious!

Really love your videos, dude! Great analysis

it makes me so mad that people were so quick to jump and say this was paranormal and only use this footage to back it up, despite the fact that her social media, and actions towards her roommates and staff at the hotel clearly show that she was going through something. and no one cared. only if more people knew about the other evidence, it becomes abundantly clear that this was not paranormal.. people think that she was a ''normal'' girl who SUDDENLY started acting like this, when shes actually BEEN showing symptoms of mania throughout her trip like, this wasnt some sudden random event.. im so glad i watched this documentary

I personally love your analysis of this because the internet's horror community doesn't try to take her mental health into account and says stuff about ghosts or rituals. I feel like being able to recognize these behaviors is beyond important. Also Americans pronounce the 'or' like an 'er' in "elevator" Love your channel though!

Thank you for this video. When everyone was theorizing "ghosts!" I saw it and saw so many things I've done in a manic episode. It's so tragic that no one recognized how badly she needed help.

Great explanation! Thanks.

Oh i watched this series before discovering you today and i agree its tragic no one thought she might be having a mental break

I love that I found your commentary on this case. My understanding of bi-polar is you run high and low. This girl is experiencing auditory and visual hallucinations, I thought that would come under the diagnosis of "psychotic". She must have been really ill when this was happening. I feel so so bad for her. I know they found her in the water tank, I wonder upon autopsy if they found any illicit drugs in her? Like maybe she stopped taking her prescribed medicine, and switched to illegal narcotics? I wonder if that's the case. In any event, this netflex program educates the younger people about mental illness and illegal drugs. I feel as if, this could "train" people to not be stigmatized by being diagnosed "bi-polar" and the importance of staying on their medication.

I think your Videos are really interesting. Thanks for making them! I'd love for you to make a reaction on the Doctor House Episodes where he is in a psych ward. I think its called 'broken' in season 6. Looking forward to your future content. Have a nice day!

She's definitely having a mental episode of some sort, but the hiding in the corner of the lift was an attempt to get the doors to close. In her haste of pressing all the buttons, she inadvertently pressed the "Hold Door" button which has a 2 minute timer. That's why the doors were not closing. In her mind, she believed the lift was sensing someone standing in the door way, which is a safety feature in all modern lifts to prevent the door from closing on someone. The sudden looking in both directions of the hallway was to make sure no one was pressing the call button, preventing the doors from closing.

At 5:20 her gesturing looks to me like she was trying to show someone into the lift in a very theatrical fashion. A bit like a bellhop at a fancy hotel but in a very exaggerated manner.

Not sure if you know about Gypsy Rose Blanchard but I would love for a reaction video to that. It is about munchausens by proxy and how that affected a young girls life due to the severity of it. There was a documentary called Mommy Dead and Dearest about the case.

Good video. I have bipolar and I Personally have no issue With metal illness being used in media such as horror films ECT, But there needs to be balanced and it saddens me in this particular case and others That her Illness is being deliberately ignored and exploited for paranormal themed content. Considering many people have now seen a very personal and sad moment in her life Awareness education and respect Should be the focus of the conversation. Thank you for Discussing mania

With bipolar 1, I've had my fair share of manic episodes of pure elation. But I also experience what I nicknamed "paranoid mania". I have delusions that I see shadow people and they're going to hurt me and it absolutely terrifies me in the moment. For, whatever reason, I sometimes become convinced that my own hand has been replaced by someone else's and I should cut it off. I get terrible insomnia and that only worsens the symptoms. And, it's just scary to tell anyone that stuff because it's psychosis; I'm very aware that it's completely irrational. But in the moment, the delusions just feel so real. I hate it. I hate being bipolar.

Hi from new orleans. Diagnosed bipolar disorder nos (ive also heard schizoaffective). First time i watched the footage of her, everyone else kept saying how weird her behavior was, some thinking it evidence of foul play. All i could think was how many hours of elevator footage of me is out there doing the same things. Folks who were showing me the footage met me after i got my symptoms well-managed (thank you cognitive behavior therapy), so i had to explain my laughter. They still had a hard time accepting the explanation for her behavior. Which is hella sad since i know a lot of bipolar folks have their symptoms clear up around my age only for them to resurface later. If that happens with me, how many people are going to convince themselves of conspiracy when i relapse? Life is funny like that

Having been through delusions of persecution/paranoia and generally psychosis... I believe she's trying to type in a specific sort of "code" with the lift buttons and she's also getting paranoid as to why the door won't close... which it obviously isn't because she keeps going in and out of it

I was thinking about this and why noone helped her. If it was me and I saw her behaving like she did in the video, I think I would be scared, because her actions look unpredictable. My thoughts would be "what if she would harm me?", "what if she became violent?", "what if she has a weapon of some sort?". Like I really wanted to help, but would be scared for my own safety. Though this doesn't excuse not calling an abulance or a doctor from a distance. I just wanted to share this because I think this is a common response to unpredictable behaviours. Let it be from a mental illness or the influence of something.

Am I the only one wondering why the lift is taking so long to start? Where I am from you have to hop on/off praying the doors won't close after 0.003 seconds

That okay its love is my favorite Korean drama it talks about mental health in a realistic and beautiful way you must see it on Netflix

Can you please react to the documentary Lost Angels? Its a heart breaking inside look into the mental health of the neighborhood the Cecil Hotel is located. Maybe it will give some people insight to why her behavior was overlooked.

I’d only been shown a fraction of that before where she pressed all the buttons and looked outside and hid. With that without the surrounding context it does look like a more reasonable fear that she’s being followed. The whole video looks really different.

Given the area of Los Angeles in which The Cecil is located (in downtown’s skid row) where thousands of the mentally unhealthy and the “indigent” conglomerate - other residents and hotel staff may have become desensitized or deliberately blind to said behaviors and individuals

I only watched the first episode and only saw a brief snippet of this video. My immediate reaction was "This person is either on a hallucinogenic drug like LSD or is having a mental health crisis". I have to remind myself form time to time that a lot of people live very sheltered lives and don't automatically spot telltale signs of disordered thinking.

the waving hands was her just trying to get the door to close. she did not realize she pressed a button that modle elevator has that jolds the door open alot longer its not the normal door open button . if you look at videos that show the panel you can see it. her mania just is causing her to not understand how the door is working. does not even have to be a full hallucination yet shes just not thinking straight due to the relapse

Thank you for your review. I have watched the Netflix series. I live in Toronto, Canada and what I'm writing is from the Canadian mental health perspective. Having personal and limited professional experience with psychosis and mental health, I recognized that her mental state was compromised. Having said this, if this happened in Toronto, the police, her family or the public could have talked with her, offered help but that's it unless she verbally asked for help. If she said that she's okay they would have to leave her alone. This happened in the Emma Fillipoff and Holly Clark cases. Both women were offered help by the police, the public and family members but they refused help and the police left. The law here prohibits anyone from forcing a person to get help unless they harm themselves or others (which is not the case in the video). Being an adult the law states that if she refuses help nothing can be done. What does the mental health law in California say about a person's rights? I'm not saying the law is right or that we should not offer help, we should unfortunately it's tough balancing a person's rights with helping them when they may not have the insight that they need help. This situation was very sad and preventable. RIP Elisa.

Thank you so much for doing this. It was really interesting. I have been interested in psychology, but I’m not sure if I would be smart enough. Would you think about watching other crime videos? I can understand if criminal psychology wasn’t what you studied or interested in doing. It would be interesting to see your take on a few interrogations or the suspects and their mental health.

Wow that's so sad, I only knew about the water container incident and a while before it seemed there was a new interest in what had happened. It was so long ago that I don't remember the cause of the interest, maybe if i'm remembering it's that there were folded clothes and it was unclear what happened

I'm interested in the books she bought at the last bookstore and what was on tv at before she went missing that she may have watched what her roommates saw that they said was strange behavior and if it was windy and if there were people in the hallway at the time because voices are loudly carried in the halls. It's not a typical environment here and I am somewhat traveled but I can tell that a young person may not feel at ease in the Cecil

Have you considered reviewing the beautiful anime film about anxiety and isolation on netflix called A Silent Voice? It is bojack tier at representing mental health

I'm bipolar and obviously not qualified to diagnose, but that seemed like a mixed episode. For me that's when I usually get paranoia.

It’s very easy to criticise that nobody realised after the fact

Honestly about a year or 2 ago I actually watched a video to do with Elisa Lam's death, When I saw that footage I knew something is not right something is going on with her in that moment... I found the whole thing strange because how could no one in the hotel not see what was happening with her, surely someone must have suspected something wasn't right, someone surely must have seen her that day acting very odd... I couldn't imagine what was going through her mind at that time but something had her scared enough to go to the roof and hide...

How did she get in the water tank & put the lid back on from inside the tank?

I remember thinking this was a murder case. 😕 I hope this type of tragedy happens less and less as we progress.

She’s meeting the eventual killer, pressing the buttons on the elevator pauses it for a couple minutes to give her the option to get in and exit. The killer grabs her by the back of the neck, and this is when her arms go out and rotate as she’s being restrained. These type of restraints are part of law enforcement trainnng. 💀

Wouldn't Elisa Lam figure that she sounded the fire alarm when she went out on the roof? And then climbed inside the water tank to hide? When she heard sirens, which is common in a city with 15 million people she basically hid. She was hiding in the elevator on video too, to support my theory. Her hands appear to be describing the elevator to someone in the hall who most likely informed her to use the stairwell outside. Asian women are very shy, for the most part. She didn't want to embarrass herself because of that silly elevator. My deepest for her family. So sad.

Can you react to Schitts Creek ep "wine & roses" I love this show however I do have a problem with this episode david rose has a "panic attack" and it's basically just him being slightly more stressed which I didn't like as someone who has a panic disorder my attacks look like a light seizure with uncontrollable shaking on and off for about 4-5 hours (I have it a lot more under control now but I still found this representation problematic)

Has anyone ever had Ambien and stayed up on it? This is what that looks like. I usually think there’s another person or two in the room with me. It blows my mind that no one has just thought of this simple concept.

Can you please do "the office" counseling season 7 ep2

Please react to Ryan Long: Modern therapist tells the world to change.

I know how terrifying and realistic auditory hallucinations can be! For me it happened as I was out eating with my boyfriend at the time, and I heard two men talking to each other. I realized they spoke English, instead of Swedish, which doesn't happen everday in a small town. I couldn't hear what they were discussing, as there were other small sounds in the restaurant to hide it as well. Suddenly they were narrating every bite I took and questioning if I should eat. Sound went from being non to as if they were sitting next to me. I couldn't finish my plate, and got a panic attack. I was shaking, crying and had trouble forgetting the ordeal for hours afterwards.

I remember watching the elevator video as someone with Bipolar 1 and immediately thought " That's mania, she's manic." Seeing it become about "Ghosts" and some unseen evil made me so mad.,

I don't think i have a mental illness but i do randomly hear someone callimg my name e.g my moms voice or something shattering or breakimg when i become paranoid. I also stress that someone in my household died and no-one realised. The only article i found if you can call ith that is that i have clairvoyance?

She could also have been waiting for someone to join her in the elevator, that could be why she stalled the elevator when she entered it in a calm state.

I don't know if I'm just projecting, but I feel like one of the reasons people might have thought 'ghosts!' is that they're empathising with the paranoia she appears to be showing, without realising that they're doing so, and because they're unaware of this (cognitive bias?) they're unable to take the next step and rationalise what's happening. Kind of a 'first impressions' thing. That's certainly what happened to me, I tend to pick up and internalise other people's negative emotions very easily, so that may be why other people jumped to an irrational conclusion so easily?

If my psychiatrist looked like that, I would not complain. Nice, concise video. Good one doc.

DO NOT wait on filing a missing persons report when someone goes missing. And if the police tell you to wait, tell them you're not going to leave until you talk to a detective and file a report. You might have to "be a karen" but your loved ones life is more important than optics. You do not have to wait, no matter what they say, there is no law that says that can't file it until 24 hours. You need to demand to speak to someone about filing it. It could save their life.

How do you tell the difference between mania and eccentricity?

Please take a look at Chandler bing from Friends, kylo ren or Anakin from Star Wars and Abed from Community:) Love your Videos

That 3 hour elevator door

As they mentioned the water tanks on the roof and the dogs leading up there... I immediately knew. The worst part is that despite knowing that water can disrupt the smell of search dogs, they didn't even lift one fucking finger to look into them. I mean, why the frick not! Wouldn't you want to make sure that you literally searched every little thing?! Tbh, seeing it yet again makes me salt so hard... so many people unbothered to do a real thorough check on the first get go, it was definetly preventable if someone would have just cared enough... This is a prime example of humanities most basics faults bunched up in a hot garbage mess.

I’m almost positive it’s OCD, I have it myself and all of these behaviors are rituals of mine-the pressing multiple buttons, the entering and existing a room more than once, the counting and especially if something weird was going on, the anxiety is what triggers the rituals. The more severe the anxiety, the more severe the OCD ritual will be. Also it fits with what the roommates were saying that she was acting weird to them. It might look like erratic behavior but in her head everything would be perfectly calculated and counted out and made sense to her. It usually comes with bipolar or depression and accompanies other disorders and can go untreated for years because it looks so weird to other people that you would feel crazy bringing it up to a doctor. I have no doubt that she was bipolar also and could explain why she would go in that tank but as someone with OCD what she did in the elevator resonated with me so much that it doesn’t even seem weird or creepy to me, I’ve done these same exact behaviors in an elevator before

Wasn't bipolar disorder considered a significant factor in her drowning by the coroner's office? (In fact, the report came to a couple of days after she was discovered) So generally speaking, wasn't the most paranormal fuzz caused by the location of the body. Namely the water tank of the water tower on the roof of the hotel. I think the only mystery around that has been solved is how she could have gotten on the roof, but it is my understanding all of the other factors how she got inside are unknown as of now. Major ones being how she got into the water tank (it's pretty damn high up, so normally you needed a ladder and there wasn't one) and how she managed to close the water tank lid. And when you have such an unexplained event with a creepy video like that, obviously people into the paranormal are going to talk about it. The paranormal conclusion wasn't being made without the knowledge of bipolar disorder, it was done despite the fact that it was known that she had the disorder.

I would not dream of questioning your expertise Dr, but what about the fact the elevator doors took forever to close?.

So was she able to lock the doors??? They never even try to close??? We all have been in a elevator/lift and they start to close before 10 seconds... Even if you have something blocking the doors. They will still try to close??? The doors never move, what's that about???

Being bi-polar is terrible, it's it's struggle. I agree with one of the other comments on here, that it is disheartening when people think that her tragic death was that of paranormal circumstances. This poor woman was having an episode. People don't understand that you cannot have cohesive thought when in a terrible episode.

all the camera cuts in this video caused me to seek counselling

She drowned in the water reservoir on the roof. It was strange because getting to this area is not easy and they couldn't figure out how or why she climb into the reservoir.

Just because she had bipolar, it doesn't necessarily mean it was the cause of death, it may ornmay not have been, we still don't know.

I can't discount the idea that someone murdered her though, but the loose ends are not a part of this video specifically

Police in la are notorious for doing a bad job with crime scene investigations & mania is almost unheard of here in america, all you really hear about is depression anxiety and maybe ptsd but only when it's about veterans. Mental health help isn't easily accessible at all. It's mostly focused on drugs to mask symptoms. : /

I still think mental illness awareness has a very long way to go because most people think a sickness can only be something else besides the brain. Like the whole 'but you look fine to me' is way too common for my liking.

Hm. It was a terrible thing for her to go through without anyone who was willing to help her out. And to think, an indie game developer used her story for a paranormal narrative. There's nothing paranormal about what happened here.

Generally curious, why do some people stop taking their meds?

Can u do a reaction about Henry Lee Lucas (on netflix "the confession killer")

is 3 eyed raven

It's almost like she was counting children or something, making sure they all got in the elevator.

The only question I have is... why doesn’t the elevator door close?

Before I even continue watching the video, I want to let you know how much I appreciate your introduction to this topic. I'm even a witch, and I don't understand why people just HAVE to have some supernatural explanation for everything. She wasn't being haunted or in a parallel dimension. She just needed a doctor. End of story.

Poor girl

Just discovered your channel and am having a great time watching! Have you considered doing a crazy ex girlfriend? I have bpd and I find it a really good representation:D

She’s reacting to the fact the lift didn’t shut, right? She mashed all the buttons which fucked the lift temporarily, so she started to imagine an entity was keeping it open.

Is it bad that I only heard of her from yiik

Hi Again, great vidéo. Tranks You should review Please Like Me (great australien série about BP disorder too)

It is quite sad

I really don't approve of that netflix doc turning it into a paranormal mystery. Anyone who has experience in MH services could recognise what was going on in that video, and capitalising on a young woman's tragic death is so icky.

God it's so sad and infuriating that in order to understand and respect mental health issues you usually either have to be a professional or someone who experienced it somehow...so many people giving this "advice" that not only doesn't work, but also often undermines the importance of the problem (Kruger-Dunning effect much?)...or makes one feel inferior or "weird"...we have certainly made advances this and past century but people still just don't understand some stuff...so some of them should just shut up before they do actual harm...also talking about some of the "experts" that came up with ridiculous theories about this video and this girl

💖

Kinda looks like she's doing sign language

When I first saw this video I swore she was playing the elevator game and she fell victim to it. Beware to those who look up what it is and do not attempt to try it. There are enough cursed games already in this world.