2016 couldn’t just end quietly. It just HAD to punch us in the throats on the way out.
At 8:55 on December 27th, 2016, Carrie Fisher passed away. Fisher leaves behind a dazzling legacy; she was a mother, a writer, an actress and, most famously, Princess Leia (later known as General Organa). She gave us four (soon to be five) Star Wars movies, Billie Lourd, six books, Gary the French bulldog, and a candid conversation on mental illness.
Carrie Fisher had bipolar disorder. In 2000, she told Diane Sawyer “I am mentally ill. I can say that. I am not ashamed of that. I survived that, I’m still surviving that, but bring it on.” Since then, she continued to be an advocate for mental health and never shied away from talking about her bipolar disorder: she talked about her struggles with weight; about her drug abuse issues that affected her disorder; and always stressed that her dog, Gary, was more than just a pet, he was a therapy dog that kept her stable.
Bipolar disorder was not separate from Carrie Fisher. Being bipolar was a huge part of her personality, it affected her every thought, decision, and action. Carrie Fisher was bipolar in the same way she was brunette, talented, and sarcastic. Those of us with mental illness know this feeling all too well; we cannot extricate our illness from the essence of who we are. To a lot of us, this feels almost like a death sentence; we cannot be who we are without this brain malfunction that makes us so different from the people around us. We need to carry this chronic illness around with us just to have the personality we have worked our whole lives to develop. Carrie Fisher dedicated herself to ending this stigma.
Admit it, all of us have wanted to be Princess Leia at some point. We’ve all wanted to help save the world and kiss both Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford in the process. Princess Leia is an icon for powerful women and strong storytelling, and that’s why she was the best person to tell us that having a mental illness is not shameful. Carrie Fisher and Princess Leia cannot be separated from one another; when Carrie Fisher speaks about mental illness, we hear Leia speaking, too.
Look at everything Carrie and Leia accomplished. At nineteen years old, and with bipolar disorder, Carrie starred in the most iconic sci-fi series ever made. After escaping Darth Vader, and with bipolar disorder, Leia led Luke Skywalker out of the Death Star and advanced to general. After escaping, and with bipolar disorder, Leia led an army as General Organa. After being captured and made silent, and with bipolar disorder, Leia strangled Jabba the Hutt and ended a tyrannical drug ring (a choice that Carrie Fisher herself made—while being bipolar!). Soon after Star Wars, and with bipolar disorder, Carrie started a successful writing career consisting of both novels and memoirs. In 1992, and with bipolar disorder, Carrie gave birth to Billie Lourd and has raised her to be confident, funny, strong, and smart. This century, and with bipolar disorder, Carrie fisher has written books and screenplays, gone on book tours, and helped to revive the Star Wars franchise—all while being bipolar.
Carrie Fisher is, and always will be, one of the most inspiring and accomplished people in America. And she’s been bipolar the whole time. Carrie Fisher left behind a message to all of us with mental illness: we do not have a death sentence. Life is harder for us, and that’s okay. It doesn’t stop us from being princesses, generals, actors, authors, and all-around badasses.
