I had heard that Glenn Close had done some interviews on Good Morning America and The View, but had not seen the PSA. For some reason, I was taken back for a minute, but then watched it again and thought that it was so cool that whoever watched this program on hulu would be exposed to this PSA. No fast forwarding, just a 30 second opportunity to hopefully think for a moment about mental illness. Perhaps that is a naive thought, but a girl can hope.
She and others have started an organization called Bring Change 2 Mind, with the intention to put real human faces to mental illness. Not the faces that we see on the news when someone shoots people at a school or murders their spouse or abuses their children, but the mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, friends, aunts, uncles, etc that live day to day with their mental illness. The people who have bravely faced themselves and found ways to live balanced and authentic lives. On the homepage of their website they have many videos of husbands and wives, mothers and sons, brothers and sisters, etc being interviewed about their experiences. They are quite moving -- take a gander.
I say bravo to Glenn and Jessie (obvs!) for stepping out there to address this issue and stigma of mental health. What are your thoughts? Does it make you think? Do you relate on either side of the issue? Can we bring change to mind??
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i feel like the obsessed commenter over here - ok so i saw the extended commercial and have seen a couple other versions ( I watched her & her sis on the View; it was great) and I am so glad they did this.
ReplyDeleteI have a good friend who is bipolar as well and it's amazing the types of reactions she gets when people find out; even from folks who've known her for years. I love that they are making it 'normal' and showing that real people do struggle with these issues, not just the homeless, and homicidal.
good post!
keep em coming!
That made me cry, with 2 uncles with schizophrenia (sp?), it makes me sad when people make rude remarks about people with mental illness. I want to say, "If you only knew my uncles..." and the pain THEY go through because of thier illness. We don't make fun of cancer patients, or diabetics, why people with mental illness? It's just sad.
ReplyDeletewell, aside from your uncanny ability to accessorize and a severly unhealthy affection for designer shoes, I can't see anything but normal.
ReplyDeletei am proud to call you my friend and i think you are, and always have been, very brave (roast anyone?).
the first thing you ever told me (well, maybe not the exact first- you did introduce yourself) was that you were "crazy on paper". i thought this was the most vulnerable and brave thing a person could do and am so happy that you decided to become my friend..... keep on keepin' on.
ps. what if the rest of us are crazy and your the only sane one??? food for thought.....
Oh I cried. I just cried at my desk. Lord, I am a girl crying at her desk at at GLENN CLOSE mini video???? This is what you have wrought, Ms. Lafferty. THIS.
ReplyDeleteWhen we found D's birth family 5 years ago, we learend that his father is paraniod schizophrenic.
ReplyDeleteOf course, this sent me to the library to read every book I could get my hands on.
There are so many fascinating things about the brain - positively - and so many that will never be answered.
Mentall illness does affect the daily lives of average people ... and they have to deal with the comments, the looks, the fear. Jack has lived at home for 58 years and he will never be able to live alone. He is functioning, can drive etc but has never been married, has no other children than D and we never really know what gets in there when we see him and talk to him. it is hard sometimes but we know he is real, he is a human and he deserves respect and dignity like every other person walking the earth.
I am glad people are speaking out - making it seem not so frightening. What a blessing for their families!