It's not all glitz and glamour in Hollywood baby! (part 2)

Welcome to part two of "It's not all glitz and glamour in Hollywood", where I've have been acknowledging the many actors and actresses who have been battling mental health ill health and how it affects us as fans.

Content warning: This blog explores mental ill-health and suicide. Please be mindful if this is a difficult topic for you and don't hesitate to reach out for support if you need it.

Carrie Fisher, who is most known for playing Princess Leia in the Star Wars franchise, passed away in 2016 due to a cardiac arrest and other contributing factors including sleep apnea and atherosclerosis (a disease in which the inside of an artery narrows due to the build-up of plaque) as well as traces of various drugs in her system. Fisher suffered from drug addiction and mental illness for most of her life and was very open to the public about it. On a two-part television documentary called The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive (2006), Fisher opened up to the show’s host Stephen Fry, who also suffers from cyclothymia, about her diagnosis of bipolar disorder and her addictions to drugs including cocaine and prescription medication. Explaining that her drug use was a form of self-medication to dial down the manic aspect of her bipolar disorder, saying they made her feel more normal. During the filming of Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back, Fisher revealed she was doing a lot more drugs, accidentally overdosing, which inspired her to write a novel and screenplay about the events called, Postcards from the Edge. The actress’ honesty and openness about her mental illness was ground-breaking for the bipolar community; she helped decrease the stigma surrounding bipolar disorder and also served as an honorary board member for the International Bipolar Foundation. Fisher encouraged people to know that it was okay if their brain’s chemistry is a bit off and they didn’t feel like they fit in because of it. In spite of the ups and downs and hospitalizations caused by her disorder, the Star Wars princess radiated a strength that has inspired many fans around the world. In an interview with Diane Sawyer in 2000, Fisher expressed how she outlasted her problems and that she was not ashamed of her mental illness, “I survived that, I’m still surviving it, but bring it on. Better me than you,” supporting others to do the work to get through their mental illness by seeking help. Much like Leonardo DiCaprio’s outlook on his own mental illness, Fisher was strongly against the concept that people with mental illness couldn’t live to their full potential or live productively, wanting to normalise therapy and medication, Fisher mentioned that for some, those factors can be a source of shame for many, which is not the case. “There is treatment and a variety of medications that can alleviate your symptoms if you are manic depressive or depressive,” she said. “You can lead a normal life, whatever that is. I have gotten to the point where I can live a normal life, where my daughter can rely on me for predictable behaviour and that’s very important to me”. Fans who battled mental illness took to social media following the news of her death to honour her.