Diversity Rules Magazine

3 Diversity Rules Magazine February 2017 "I went too fast, I was too much." -- Carrie Fisher "All I can do is love her." -- Debbie Reynolds e world was stunned when mother-daughter movie stars Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher passed away within one day of each other at the end of December. Reynolds of course was a major film star during the 1950s and 60s and a popular headliner in Las Vegas for nearly fifty years. Fisher--Princess Leia--needs no introduction to "Star Wars" fans. Reynolds and Fisher were strong women who not only bounced back from adversity, they laughed about it. It would be easy to criticize their privileged, Beverly Hills lifestyles, but in truth, both women were graduates of the school of hard knocks. Beginning around 1990, Fisher went public regard- ing her battles with mental illness. She was diagnosed manic-depressive, now more commonly known as Bipolar Disorder. Fisher's attempts at self-medication nearly killed her--she overdosed during the 1980s and was hospitalized in a psychotic state. Many years later Reynolds told Oprah Winfrey that visiting Fisher in the psych ward was one of the hardest things she ever had to do. Fisher bounced back and resumed her acting career. She also became a best selling author. Her novel "Post- cards From the Edge" was a thinly veiled, fictionalized memoir about her relationship with her mom. Fisher went on to write a number of other books, all semi-autobiographical. Her writings touched upon some very dark subjects: she wrote candidly about her experiences growing up as the child of celebrities, her parents' ugly, highly publicized divorce, and of her life- long battle to keep a grip on her sanity. Her work was consistently hilariously funny -- Fisher even laughed about her illness. "If my life wasn't funny it would just be true, and that is unacceptable." In her acclaimed one woman show "Wishful Drink- ing", Fisher laid it all out on the table. With humor and grace, she let people know that it was OK to have a mental illness. ere was no shame in it, and yes, recovery was possible. But her no-holds-barred hon- esty included letting people know that the battle never really ends. It never does. I developed PTSD nearly 40 years ago af- ter surviving a harrowing and abusive childhood. Like Fisher I've had psychotic episodes which I can bare- ly remember--but I recall enough to know that, like Fisher, "I went too fast and I was too much". But also like Fisher, I've had my triumphs, such as the freelance writing career that I love so much. I've done fairly well for myself. Today, around fourteen years since I began writing professionally, I'm published an average of five times per week. In 2012 I even won a minor writing award--I was voted Best Film Reviewer at the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Film Awards. e award statu- ette is now one of my most beloved possessions. rough it all, Carrie Fisher was, and continues to be, one of my role models. It has given me tremendous PTSD Memoir - Con't on page 6 If You Could Read My Mind Carrie Fisher's Mental Health Advocacy By David-Elijah Nahmod

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