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Carrie Fisher’s most inspirational quotes about mental health
‘If you feel safe saying you have an illness, you can thank Carrie’
Carrie Fisher is, obviously, most well known for her role as Princess Leia, so much so that she even once said “Leia follows me like a vague smell”, and most of the touching tributes that have been pouring in all over social media have focussed on this role.
But the iconic actress is also remembered as a hero to many for openness about mental health, and the tireless way she went about removing the stigma surrounding it, encouraging so many to come forward and seek help. She made the fight against mental health something to be proud of, not ashamed of, and for that we all thank you, Carrie Fisher.
“I am mentally ill. I can say that. I am not ashamed of that. I survived that, I’m still surviving it, but bring it on. Better me than you.”
“Bipolar disorder can be a great teacher. It’s a challenge but it can set you up to be able to do almost anything else in your life.”
“I am very sane about how crazy I am.”
“So when I was 24, someone suggested to me that I was bipolar, and I thought that was ridiculous. I just thought he was trying to get out of treating me. But he was also responding to the chaotic nature of my life.”
“I went to a doctor and told him that I felt normal on acid, that I was a light bulb in a world of moths. That is what the manic state is like.”
“The world of manic depression is a world of bad judgement calls.”
“Living with manic depression takes a tremendous amount of balls.”
“Being bipolar can be an all-consuming challenge, requiring a lot of stamina and even more courage, so if you’re living with this illness and functioning at all, it’s something to be proud of, not ashamed of.”
“You know how most illnesses have symptoms you can recognise? Like fever, upset stomach, chills, whatever. Well, with manic depression, it’s sexual promiscuity, excessive spending, and substance abuse – and that just sounds like a fantastic weekend in Vegas to me!”
“I now get awards all the time for being mentally ill. It’s better than being bad at being insane, right? How tragic would it be to be runner-up for Bipolar Woman of the Year?”
“Because I grew up in a public family, I never really had a private life. And so if those issues are going to be public, I would rather them to be public the way I’ve experienced them, rather than someone else assuming things about me. It’s freeing to do it. Shame is not something I aspire to.”
“Without medication, I would not be able to function in this world. Medication has made me a good mother, a good friend, a good daughter.”
“The only lesson for me, or anybody, is that you have to get help. It’s not a neat illness. It doesn’t go away.”
“Generally someone who has bipolar doesn’t have just bipolar, they have bipolar, and they have a life and a job and a kid and a hat and parents, so it’s not your overriding identity. It’s just something that you have, but not the only thing – even if it’s quite a big thing.”
“We have been given a challenging illness, and there is no other option than to meet those challenges. Think of it as an opportunity to be heroic – not ‘I survived living in Mosul during an attack’ heroic, but an emotional survival. An opportunity to be a good example to others who might share our disorder.”
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