Star Wars and Mental Illness. Really?....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20121110/ut-people-carrie-fisher/

I found this article on The Huffington Post.  It is interesting that in this country, celebrity is such an important part of bringing attention to issues.  This is another example.  Whatever you think about how celebrity is in control of our culture, Carrie Fisher performs an important service for sufferers of mental illness.  She is normalizing the experience of living with bipolar disorder. And she teaches people how important attitude and spirit are to recovery.  I have never had the joy of watching her performance.  I'm sure I eventually will.  But I'm familiar with her story because of her celebrity. She is an inspiration. She is truly not her illness.  As Carrie says: “People say ‘mental illness’ like it’s not a part of the body,”   And she points out that it is a medical condition.  In other words, exactly what we have been talking about throughout this blog.  Not making it “wrong” or telling sufferers that they are somehow bad or lacking character.  A medical condition.  Something that occurs because of something biochemical.  

This is what I know about mental illness. It is an equal opportunity scourge.  It's felt in 'Old Hollywood' families. It's experienced by middle-class folks.  Finally, since many of my clients were poor, I know that it is experienced by the poor.  The impact is felt by many different types of people. In lost time and wasted lives. In unrealized potential and lost relationships. In pain and shame. In frustration and fear. It is a great equalizer. Truly not an issue that has anything to do with wealth or social standing. Mental illness is an equal opportunity problem. In all kinds of families.

Can you imagine Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher watching as their beautiful and talented daughter lost momentum in her carefully crafted career path as her mental illness took over?  The confusion, the fear, and the disappointment? I can. Because I really did see it in other families. And in families that were not as famous as the one that Carrie Fisher comes from. Most especially my own.  I can only wonder what my Mom could have accomplished with her family and in her personal life if she had not had to cope with mental illness.  She was a wonderfully creative and giving woman.  What if she had not been mentally ill?  What would have been possible?  I  don’t know.  But I imagine that it would have been considerably more than the narrow and frustrating life she led while suffering from mental illness.

Carrie creates a future for herself and others suffering from mental illness.  It is one filled with possibility. With self-acceptance and understanding from the world outside. With open discussion. With recognition of our common humanity.  Where right and wrong don’t come into the discussion.  Personally, I applaud Carrie.  And I don’t care WHO she is. I am just touched and inspired by her grace and courage.  And I look forward to seeing the show that she created to discuss her illness. Just because. Not because she is Carrie Fisher of ‘Star Wars’ fame.  If you have the opportunity, do a little research about Carrie Fisher and her experience with bipolar disorder.  It will touch and inspire you too. I am willing to bet on it.