Bipolar Today

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Glenn Close, the Oscar-winning actress from such films as Fatal Attraction, is also the co-founder of a group that seeks to extend care for and eliminate stigma toward those with mental illnesses. She and her sister, Jessie Close, who suffers from bipolar disorder, have founded the group “Bring Change 2 Mind.” They organize mental health advocates to raise awareness and to increase public funding. Citing NAMI’s study this week that showed that $1.6 billion had been cut from state budgets for the care of mental illness (the actual number is $1.1 billion as I discussed earlier this week, though it’s still a big number), she called on governments to ensure that funding of mental health treatment is still covered, arguing that the costs of untreated mental health illness to the economy are far higher than the cost of not treating it. She wrote an opinion piece in Politico that can be found here, and the website for Bring Change 2 Mind can be found here.

Commentary

I know that some people are skeptical of celebrities and their advocacy of health causes. As one person in the comments on Politico put it, “She’s not a doctor, but she’s played one on TV.” However, if we don’t look to celebrities as experts but as sources of awareness, celebrities can be very helpful in providing awareness of conditions of mental illness, especially those who have it themselves (like Carrie Fisher) and those who have it in their families (like Glenn Close). Because of mass media, a person’s life can be very well known publicly, and therefore, mental illness in the lives of celebrities can provide genuine awareness and sympathy very quickly. In addition, because celebrities need to maintain their image to maintain commercial success, their willingness to be public about mental illness is very brave, as they are literally telling their stories to millions of people. The work that Glenn Close and her sister are doing provides real benefit, and I am grateful for their help.

Related posts:

1. Bicyclist Rides for Mental Health Awareness
2. Mike Wallace, Depression and Bipolar Advocate, Dies at Age 93
3. Alabama Set to Close Four State Mental Hospitals
4. State Mental Health Funding Cut By $1.1B Since 2009
5. Swaziland Moves To Improve Community Mental Health Care