Bring Change 2 Mind featured on GMA
Glenn Close image from Wikimedia.
Some celebrities, or pseudo-celebrities like Adam Jasinski, choose to use their money for destructive purposes such as drugs and material excess. However, I am encouraged today to see that famous actress Glenn Close is using her extensive wealth for good.
Glenn Close this morning appeared on “Good Morning America” to talk about her new mental illness awareness campaign, Bring Change 2 Mind. Glenn Close, with the help of her sister Jessie Close, has started a national campaign to bring mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, depression and schizophrenia.
Why mental illness, why Glenn Close?
People who have been to war have a lot more to worry about than paying off their military personal loans. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a disease just as cancer or diabetes is a disease, says Glenn Close regarding mental illness. She was inspired to start the Bring Change 2 Mind campaign because of her sister, Jessie, who is diagnosed as bipolar.
Jessie’s son, Calen, has been diagnosed with schizo-affective disorder, which is both schizophrenic and bipolar at once. Glenn Close says all the people in her Bring Change 2 Mind commercials are real people with real disorders and the people they rely on to help them. In videos on the Bring Change 2 Mind web site, the people who appear in the Grand Central Station commercial, which you can also watch on the site, talk about their specific illnesses.
Seeking help
On Good Morning America, Jessie Close talked about struggling with her disorder all her life. She didn’t officially find out she was bipolar until she was 47. She talked about the struggle with the decision to take medication.
The bottom line is, through the Bring Change 2 Mind campaign the Close sisters want to spread awareness about mental illness to diminish the stigma that surrounds it. They also want people who have mental illness to get help and support.
“We’re getting more and more sophisticated medication,” Glenn Close said. “We need to keep people with mental illness living full and productive and creative lives.”
Thank you to such a reputable person as Glen Close for putting out there her story and ways to work with these issues. I get it from both sides. My mom has mental issues since I was a kid and was on Thorazine till it wrecked her liver-now we all suffer from her ill behaviour. My daughter is not right and I catch both sides of the coin. My daughter is 35 yrs. old. and of course knows everything and I know nothing.
Mental illness is a family problem not just the persons problem and the solutions must be found as a family and not blaming this person or that person in the family. Now getting the whole family together is another problem. But I feel comforted to know that Glen understands what we feel, because she not just anybody to us. Thank her for us.
I am a mother of a 28 year old . and i am up to the pint to go crazy … since child he was a problem.. but until 3 years ago he been diagnostic bipolar and depression.. if i used to take him to doctors and he started do doing fine…… then… hell broke loose he stop taking his meds.. now he is back to the started point he is just going to kill me
… he doesn’t care about anything.. he wants to sell me that idea that marijuana( he read it on the internet ) is good for calm him down….. Not for a mother who has never use drugs.. plz someone can help me. and how or who can talk to him and make him understand that meds are necessary.. ( he has a degree in visual communications and has never work) because hes always bring him down himself , thanks for read or answer this , God bless you
my 25 yr old daughter is spending 23 y ears of her lifein prison for killing a man. She suffers with schizo-affective disorder and was in her alter-ego at the time. We had sought help from the time she started college at 18 and she had a reaction to the drugs they tried. The last one they gave her was mixed with zoloft. We nearly lost her that night to suicide. At that point she started to self medicate with alcohol and street drugs and I lost her to a world I couldn’tunderstand. She was a very good child- we never had any problems out of the ordinary teenage things- was an honor student and athlete. So when she committed her crime the rest of the family and freinds were shocked. If these problems are in someone you love you have to learn and educate everyone and try to get them to help.Most of the world still thinks the person is crazy and Ive had people tell me it’s just an excuse to cover up what she did.We need people like Glenn Close to get more attentionfor these tormented souls.’medically and otherwise.
Would love to chat with Glenn about her experience as I’m a daughter of a mother with this disease. . and have a story to share.
How do I get in touch with anyone about Bring Change 2 Mind. Or how do I contact Glenn Close or her sister. I need some help with my mental health disorder. Thank you
ON the MSNBC Close interview the host interviews jessie and glen and likens mental illness to the character in fatal attraction. Jealousy and obsession with a man are not a mental illness. Plus, this isnt a good exaple of mental illness. It creates a negative stigma (the show was about eliminating stigma wasn’t it!!??)
On ABC the host said that “Jessie is bipolar” not has bipolar disorder. This is mental illness 101 people – you don’t define people by their illness –whether it be depression, bipolar disorder or cancer.
Oprah, two weeks ago called mentally ill people Crazy. I dont even need to explain this one.
All the people with voices pat themselves on the back for bringing awareness to the issue but time and time again THEY SCREW IT UP. Find someone who has been through it and can articulate the issue properly. Stop allowing ignorant news journalists to cover the issue. They are perpentuating the stigmas and spreading the damage.
I do want to say to Jessie Close – I can’t imagine what its been like for you, my dad was in a similar situation, but still I can’t imagine having a famous sister and living with this illness. You should be very proud of what you are doing, but please don’t allow the media to define mental illness according to your situation. It is different for all of us – never forget that.
IE – you said in one interview you think you had BP as a baby????? my sister cried all the time as a baby and does not have a mental illness. I was the perfect baby and never cried – I have bipolar disorder. In fact, many of the best doctors say you can’t diagnose ANYONE until the brain is fully developed for a mental illness. I remember the story of a baby who died from being given bipolar meds because it cried too much. A six month old was given bipolar meds for crying!!!!!!! Please don’t perpetuate the myth thtat infants who cry to much have a mental illness. THAT IS SO DANGEROUS. My sister cried they later found out because of ear infections – imagine if they had given her 600 mg of lithium…..
Dear Glenn: I admire your work and dedication for breaking the stigma of mental illness. My son is 36 and struggling with schizo-affective disorder. I have found great strength in NAMI and I am on the board for the San Gabriel Valley affiliate. I wanted to invite you to attend our recent NAMI WALK in Santa Monica but could not get in touch with you. I would be interested in working with you to get support groups to talk to high schools, businesses, colleges, etc. There is a tremendous need for the outreach of these illnesses.
Best to you on your good work with Bring Change 2 Mind!
I have worked with adolescents with mental illness for 43 yrs. I too hope we can talk about this subject openly with no shame.Everyone knows someone who struggles,let’s all extend a hand.I invite Glen and Jessie to our facility to talk to my girls, we help them devlope a LIFE WOrTH LIVING. Zenab Ali Mebed
Props to Glenn Close! According to a 2008 statistics report on mental disorders, an estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. That’s about one in every four adults! Building awareness and understanding is very important, considering how many people in just this country are struggling with mental illnesses.