RIP Carrie Fisher
Princess Leia and General Organa are my heroes in the Star Wars movies.
Carrie Fisher means so much more to me.
I deal with bipolar disorder type II...only after seeing her in Stephen Fry’s “Secret Life of the Manic Depressive” did I finally understand that my mood changes were not normal. And that I wasn’t alone.
Youtube can be a sanctuary and hellhole for those of us with mental health issues. Voices like Carrie’s bring belonging and comfort...as long as we don’t look at the comments left by those who don’t understand that we can’t change the weather inside our minds by taking a walk.
Carrie Fisher’s advocacy for living one’s life fully while dealing with bipolar disorder is her legacy.
From her (last) column in The Guardian:
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.
...As your bipolar sister, I’ll be watching. Now get out there and show me and you what you can do.
