No, not Princess Leia! That’s the reaction many of us had when we learned that Carrie Fisher had died.
More than an actress, more than a writer, Fisher’s portrayal of Princess Leia was a huge part of the Star Wars world, a phenomenon that touched generations of fans from all walks of life.
One of the many rotten things about Fisher’s death is that it might have been preventable. Fisher died from the effects of a massive heart attack. Drug use can damage the heart, and Fisher was candid about her drug use.
For example, she refuted charges that she grew her fingernails long to use drugs such as cocaine. With her characteristic wit, she explained on Twitter that “I never used my fingernail for drugs. I used dollars or tiny spoons like any other respectable former drug addict.”
Fisher was equally candid about why she used drugs. She explained that she used drugs and alcohol because she also struggled with bipolar disorder. Also known as manic depression, people with bipolar disorder experience periods of mania as well as periods of extreme depression.
Like others, Fisher used drugs as a way to self-medicate and deal with her mania and her depression. Like others, Fisher did not receive a quick diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
As with other physical and psychological conditions, the sooner doctors diagnose bipolar and substance use disorder disorders, the sooner doctors and therapists can treat them, especially before things get too bad.
When doctors diagnose both conditions, it is known as a dual diagnosis. Treating both factors in a dual diagnosis is crucial, since one condition often intensifies the other. For example, anxious people might drink alcohol to take the edge off, but could start to rely on drinking more and more to relieve their anxiety. But alcohol is a depressant, a substance that could leave people feeling, well, depressed.
It looked as if Carrie Fisher had received medical and psychological help. Her discussion of substance use disorder and mental illness received a lot of press coverage, as did her discussion of one treatment she sought, electroshock therapy.
Maybe we can continue these discussions as a way to honor Fisher. Maybe these discussions could prevent people from the same fate that Carrie Fisher encountered. The more people acknowledge that addiction and mental illness are common and that they’re diseases—not untreatable moral failings—the more people can educate others about the conditions and their treatments.
Maybe these discussions could encourage others not to be afraid to admit that they have problems and encourage them to seek treatment. Carrie Fisher courageously admitted her struggles, fought them, and shared them with others. While her Princess Leia character was a warrior in the movies, Carrie Fisher was just as much a warrior in real life.
