Robin Williams’ tragic death has cast a much-needed spotlight on issues of depression, suicide and mental health. The fact that one of Hollywood’s great comedic geniuses, known for his humanity and joy, struggled so severely with depression is a reminder of both the devastating power of mental illness, as well as how little is still known about these stigmatized diseases.
One Hollywood star, in particular, has been using her celebrity to gain national attention to this crisis. Glenn Close is the founder of Bring Change 2 Mind, an organization dedicated to eradicating the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental illness. Upon learning the news of Williams’ death, Close, who starred with Williams in the 1982 film The World According To Garp, reflected yesterday, “I am absolutely heartbroken. Robin was a national treasure and a beautiful soul.”
Close has had a prolific acting career, including a number of award-winning roles, like the Oscar-nominated psychotic mistress in Fatal Attraction and an Emmy award–winning role on FX's “Damages.” But nothing has made a bigger impact in her life than learning about her younger sister’s mental illness which rocked the 67-year-old actress.
Soon after her sister’s diagnosis, Close launched Bring Change 2 Mind in order to support people with mental disorders. She leaned on her celebrity status to garner the national attention the issue deserved, and championed acting roles that could elicit change. “If it’s something that’s part of the human condition,” says Close, “why is it still so difficult for people to accept, to support, and to talk about?”
I recently sat down with Close to learn more about her journey as advocate and activist, a journey which I hope will continue to drive the much-needed social change that Robin William’s death brings to the forefront.
Keep Track Of Your Family And Friends
Close’s younger sister, Jessie, was not properly diagnosed with bipolar disorder until the age of 50. For most of her life, Jessie had tried to keep her disease, including thoughts of suicide, hidden from her family. But one day she could no longer hide it, and desperately revealed to the actress, “I can’t stop thinking about killing myself. I need help.” Fortunately, Close’s sister eventually got the treatment she needed. “She had fallen through the cracks of our family….I think what happens in my family probably happens in millions of other families, we just had no vocabulary for mental illness,” admits Close. Jessie’s son, Calen, was later diagnosed with schizophrenia. “I said, well, this has been under my nose for a disturbingly long time,” says Close. “And I made the decision that [starting a non-profit to raise awareness] is what I would do with my time.”
She founded BringChange2mind.org with a mission of de-stigmatizing mental illness and bringing awareness to an issue that one in four people suffer from — but far fewer talk about. “I think of the years that she [Jessie] struggled, and I think of how close we came to losing her. And it seems shameful,” reflects Close. Now, “keep up with your family” is one of the biggest pieces of advice she gives to others. “Family is so important. And we were so dispersed for so long,” she recalls. “Now, we're closer than we've ever been, and it makes me happy. It also makes me wish that there were times earlier that we could've really, really spent together.”
Award-winning actress Glenn Close and her sister, Jessie Close (Photo by George Pimentel/Getty... [+]
Candor Is A Powerful Way To Unite People
“One of the great reasons to lift the stigma [of mental illness] is to include people,” explains Close. “Think of living with a huge secret like that. There are many people who still can't admit it in the workplace, or with their friends. There are people who think that it would really affect their job. But that should change. The amount of creative energy alone [that is lost from hiding mental illness] is something that would really inform and lift our society.”
Close does all Bring Change 2 Mind appearances with her sister because she wants the message to be about openness—and Jessie’s courageousness in telling her story on the national stage underscores the authentic message of the organization.
Stereotypes Aren’t Productive
Looking back on her career, especially to her role in Fatal Attraction, Close now sees how damaging Hollywood’s portrayal of people with mental illness can be. “When I was researching Fatal Attraction, which was in the 80’s, a possible mental disorder for Alex Forrest never came up. And that to me is extraordinary now, because it would be the first thing that I think of,” recalls Close. “It’s very easy to make the bad guy somebody who has a mental disorder,” she says. “But it's very, very destructive.”
On the other hand, she is grateful for the honest, difficult issues raised by her role of Margarethe Cammermeyer in Serving In Silence, a film about the highest-ranking female officer in the Army who was thrown out of a security clearance interview when she admitted that she was a lesbian. “The response we got from that show was incredible, because it was one of the first times that [the LGBT community] had a hero. Like the mental health and mental illness community, they had to live secret lives,” says Close. “It was a gratifying experience.” Close received letters from people who said it stopped them from considering suicide."
Networks Are Key
Close sees the modern development of social media and particularly women’s gatherings as effective, powerful ways to make connections and as catalysts for change. “Women are developing these great networks,” says Close. “You can meet somebody and in five minutes you're talking about the most important thing in their life. “I think women have that great ability to come together for something that they really care about and make a difference.
So what does success look like for award-winning actress turned activist? Reaching “the tipping point where people talk about mental illness like we talk about diabetes and cancer…Ideally, you won’t need organizations like Bring Change 2 Mind anymore.”
