It’s arguably a disrespectful question, yet it seems to me exactly the question to ask. Sure, I watched those Star Wars flicks so long ago. I watched Postcards from the Edge too. Still, to offer due disclosure as I present such a piece, I was never particularly interested in Carrie, her career or her life. I’d very much like to say otherwise. In retrospect, I highly respect and appreciate her mental health advocacy and her survival skills. I hope to emulate her example in both regards, but I’m admittedly a fan after the fact, mostly learning about her efforts posthumously. Carrie was a powerful mental health advocate. She took her own losses, struggles, and scandals under the ruthlessly bright lights of celebrity and put them to good use on behalf of countless others. Celebrity seems to me a tough gig, especially when it all goes horribly wrong and the spotlight focuses like a hot laser on faults and mistakes. Mental illness advocacy is also a tough gig: most people don’t dare to own their illnesses with the public or even friends and neighbors. Such risk stigma offers! But imagine both at once: celebrity scandal AND mental health stigma. Wow! That’s a tough, [...]![]()
