My New Hero: Glenn Close

Not because she’s a phenomenal actor, which she is, but because she’s just initiated a new project to banish stigma. The project is highly personal, as she explains on Huffington Post:

As I’ve written and spoken about before, my sister suffers from a bipolar disorder and my nephew from schizoaffective disorder. There has, in fact, been a lot of depression and alcoholism in my family and, traditionally, no one ever spoke about it. It just wasn’t done. The stigma is toxic. And, like millions of others who live with mental illness in their families, I’ve seen what they endure: the struggle of just getting through the day, and the hurt caused every time someone casually describes someone as “crazy,” “nuts,” or “psycho”.

What’s remarkable is not her frankness about this personal history, but her motivation to act, which seems almost like a wholesale rethinking of her career and what it’s meant in popular culture. In Fatal Attraction, for example, she played a woman obsessed with Michael Douglas (those were the days, right Michael?). She loses control of the obsession and becomes terrifying. As Close writes, the movie was a great success, and audiences loved to hate her character.

Alex Forrest is considered by most people to be evil incarnate. People still come up to me saying how much she terrified them. Yet in my research into her behavior, I only ended up empathizing with her. She was a human being in great psychological pain who definitely needed meds. I consulted with several psychiatrists to better understand the “whys” of what she did and learned that she was far more dangerous to herself than to others.

The original ending of Fatal Attraction actually had Alex commit suicide. But that didn’t “test” well. Alex had terrified the audiences and they wanted her punished for it. A tortured and self-destructive Alex was too upsetting. She had to be blown away.

So, we went back and shot the now famous bathroom scene. A knife was put into Alex’s hand, making her a dangerous psychopath. When the wife shot her in self-defense, the audience was given catharsis through bloodshed — Alex’s blood. And everyone felt safe again.

The ending worked. It was thrilling and the movie was a big hit. But it sent a misleading message about the reality of mental illness.

This is a bold admission from a woman who derived so much success from this role, but there’s no escaping what she says. It has long bothered me — and, I suspect, other advocates — that the message there is one of terror and fear.

Not only does Close take on her role in that film, she assesses the entertainment industry as a whole:

Whether it is Norman Bates in Psycho, Jack Torrance in The Shining, or Kathy Bates’ portrayal of Annie Wilkes in Misery, scriptwriters invariably tell us that the mentally ill are dangerous threats who must be contained, if not destroyed. It makes for thrilling entertainment.

There are some notable exceptions, of course — Dustin Hoffman in Rainman, or Russell Crowe’s portrayal of John Nash in A Beautiful Mind. But more often than not, the movie or TV version of someone suffering from a mental disorder is a sociopath who must be stopped.

I like to think that her speaking out will change this. As she so eloquently says, silence is the problem. Read more of her elegant prose here. It is well worth it. There you’ll find links to the initiative she’s promoting.

Thank you, Glenn, for speaking out against silence. You rock.

liz | 10:30 AM | SCHIZOPHRENIA, bipolar disorder, celebrities, depression, media, meds

Memorializing Larry Frankel

Larry Frankel fought the good fight for his entire professional life, and his death — a couple weeks ago at the age of 54 — is a huge loss for America. Does that sound overstated? Probably, but I really believe that. Larry was as much a crusader as Ted Kennedy, who was lionized in the wake of his recent death. Frankel didn’t get quite as much attention (understandably), but if you want to know more about him, read his obit here. That just skims the surface of his service. Honor his memory by donating to the ACLU, or by attending his memorial service this weekend. Details:

liz | 2:29 PM | celebrities

A Message to Patrick Kennedy

First of all:

Ted Kennedy’s Health Care Legacy

The Cause of Ted Kennedy’s Life

Patrick, my condolences on your father’s passing. When your dad’s brothers died, he had to get himself together and stop being an irresponsible, drunken frat boy. He had to become a leader who espoused what they did: social justice, pacifism, equal rights, etc. You have a head start: You made mental health parity happen, and you’ve been engaged in fighting the good fight since the beginning. You’re my hero.

But I also know you’re flawed and troubled, like your dad was, like we all are. The politicians who pretend to be saints tend to fail us, so you just go on being imperfect. And if you need support in your time of grief, just think of us out here, rooting for you to do well. We support you because you’re our voice now. And because we know what it’s like to live with loss. We believe in you. Carry on.

liz | 3:19 PM | bipolar disorder, celebrities, depression

Liveblogging Primetime Outsiders

All the below is about this show.

Madigan: They didn’t flatter you with that lighting.

David Oaks: You’re looking so handsome! I had no idea. Your eyebrows are very sexy. (I’m completely sincere.)

“But critics worry …” That’s journalism-speak for “We don’t have any specific sources who say this, but we’ll generalize it so we have reason to focus on …”

… violence. That’s what they’re focusing on. Why am I not surprised?

So of all the things they could talk about related to Mad Pride — and related to mental health — this is what they’ve come up with: criminals and violent crime. Ugh. TV is so predictable and depressing.

Okay, so now we’re telling the story of a kid with hallucinations and delusions (the CIA, yadda yadda) who KILLS HIS MOTHER? Does the average American viewer understand how fucking rare this kind of thing is? That it’s not the necessary result of deciding not to take meds?

On to the withdrawal story: Clearly, the program wasn’t looking for a success story. This poor woman who decided to do the show so they could feed off her misery — I knew that’s what they wanted. Is she doing the withdrawal in conjunction with a doctor? Who the hell knows? The show doesn’t tell you. It hardly tells you her name. And …

Oh! There it is again: “Critics worry … ” (that she’s going to be “a time bomb” without her meds). Who are these critics worrying about this girl? Frank Rich? David Denby? I’d love to know.

“Violence is unpredictable with or without drugs.” Brilliant script.

Blurry homeless images. Madigan cello-ing. … This show is so bad, it’s like a joke. I guess it all goes back to what producer Ia Robinson told me, when we discussed my being on the show: She doesn’t have any friends or family who have mental problems, so the whole topic was like “walking on the moon.” Yes, that’s the phrase she used. The show should’ve been blasted out to Mars.

Except Joey P. He’s delightful and a voice of reason.

liz | 9:34 PM | SCHIZOPHRENIA, alternative treatments, bipolar disorder, celebrities, criminal justice system, depression, hospitals / hospitalization, meds, philadelphia, side effects, stigma, suicide, violence

Ricky Williams’ Journey

The New York Times ran an article about Ricky Williams that I think was really well-done. It talks about his struggle with marijuana addiction, which compromised his career in the NFL, but more than that, it portrays his psychic battles and explores the way his mind works. It’s a much more nuanced piece than the type we normally see about sports stars; but equally important, it examines the life of the mind in a way that doesn’t pathologize. Ricky Williams is just Ricky Williams, an interesting, layered human being. I wish people were more often written about this way, especially people with “troubles.”

Ricky Williams Is Hoping to Heal Others, and His Image

liz | 8:44 AM | alternative treatments, celebrities

Michael Jackson: Suicidal?

From the Telegraph (UK):

Friends of the King of Pop have claimed that he “often overdosed” and had been trying to kill himself for a decade. One said: “We’re surprised he even made it to 50”.

The Daily Star reported that insiders believe the financially struggling star “couldn’t face his problems” and wanted a way out.

He would keep the suicide note in his pocket and overdosed, they told the newspaper. “Michael always talked about dying young,” one said. “He wrote suicide notes then tore them up. He kept one with him – he often read it.

“He wanted everyone to know how sad he was.” Another friend told the newspaper that Jackson had wanted to end his life ever since he was humiliated by child abuse claims in the 1990s.

That’s quite sad.

Michael Jackson Kept Suicide Note

liz | 10:05 AM | celebrities, depression

Remembering Steven Wells, 1960-2009

Today is PW’s tribute issue, and also the memorial service for our colleague. I won’t be blogging today, but go here for some incredible memories and tributes.

liz | 10:17 AM | celebrities, philadelphia

Michael Jackson and Zoloft

All right, let’s predict what’s coming next: the list of drugs MJ was allegedly taking will include some psych drugs (Zoloft, I’m hearing), which will cause the Hollywood Hubbardians to get their knickers in a twist. So let’s say what needs to be said before the bombs are launched: It’s not the drugs that are bad. It’s abusing drugs that’s bad.

Jackson, whose cause of death is still unknown, is rumored to have been taking a lotsa meds, all at once. From various sources via Furious Seasons:

“Life & Style reports that Michael Jackson was taking a cocktail of up to seven prescription drugs in the months before his death.

“And a Jackson family lawyer told CNN he ‘feared’ the drugs could kill the pop star.

“The star had been taking prescription painkillers including anti-anxiety drugs Xanax, Zoloft and painkiller Demerol in recent months, sources close to Jackson told Life & Style.

Poor Michael. If it’s true that he’d been taking this cocktail, and it was diagnosed by his doctor, we’ll certainly be hearing more about it.

liz | 7:38 PM | celebrities

Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Steven Wells

It’s funny — sometimes celebrity deaths hit me really hard. It seems they’re often celebs who were important to me in my youth, so for instance when Lauren Bacall dies, I might have to take a few days off from work. But despite Hollywood’s two losses of yesterday, I feel almost nothing. This isn’t because I’m a callous person but because having a friend and colleague die the day before really puts a fine point on how absurd it is to be crushed by celebrity deaths. Or not absurd, exactly, but how different it is — how remote. Who were those people to me? As No Minister says, “Fuck Michael Jackson … Steven Wells is dead.” And oddly, on hitched.co.uk, in the off-topic forum section, one poster says they’re more unhappy about Wells than MJ/FF. Another writes:

I’ve had near enough double the number of texts and phone calls about Steven Wells than I have Michael Jackson. One from a school friend I haven’t spoken to in almost 10 years. She remembered me going on and on about how bloody sexy his writing was and that despite my general dislike of NME I’d buy it regardless and read no only read his stuff.

Always controversial, always passionate and incredibly funny.

The world will be a duller place without him.

Isn’t that the truth. Not only that, but I’d love to hear what Steven would have to say about the Michael Jackson stuff — and especially about the BBC comparing his death to Princess Di’s. The fact that I have no idea what he’d say — except that it would be incredibly funny — is exactly what made him so special.

liz | 10:18 AM | celebrities, philadelphia

Goodbye, Anti-Sacred and Profane Writing Machine

After a long battle with cancer, PW staff writer, Guardian columnist, punk-rock novelist, NME gadfly, gender-twisting rebel comedian and poet Steven Wells has gone on to other things. Well, not really. According to Steven, there’s no such thing as the afterlife, and if there is, I guarantee he’s really, really pissed off right now. I can just picture him at St. Peter’s Gates, saying, “Fuck me! This shit actually exists?”

We’ll all miss Steven so much, and I’ll say more about that later. For now, I’m wishing the best to all family and friends who are hurting. That’s what Steven really cared about in the end, though he was very passionately annoyed by knitting, as well.

Steven was often told he was anti-American. I loved his passion, and he cracked us the fuck up every day. This video was part of a series he did for PW called Steven Wells’ America, in which he took sacred cows and basically grilled them for dinner. Below, he reflects on the religiosity of an America that voted for Bush a second time (Steven was a staunch atheist). Toward the end he smiles a bit, so you know that he knows he’s being ridiculous. And that’s part of what was so cute about Steven — he’d rant, but then laugh at himself.

liz | 10:41 AM | BIG PHARMA, Funny or Offensive?, GLBT, Song of the Day, alternative treatments, anxiety, celebrities, children, cute fix, depression, hospitals / hospitalization, media, meds, military, philadelphia, phobias, politics, random, religion, suicide, violence