Glenn Close rejects mental illness stigma

Glenn Close’s 1987 performance as Alex Forrest in “Fatal Attraction” displayed threatening antics and violent outrages, a role she now says perpetrated the stigma of mental illness. 

Today, Close takes a different approach at addressing mental illness.

Inspired by her sister, Jessie Close, who lives with bipolar illness and a nephew with schizoaffective disorder, Close founded Bring Change 2 Mind, an organization geared to generate conversation and combat the stigma surrounding mental illness.
 
BC2M is a global forum to share stories, provide educational material and promote wellness and acceptance of those who are affected by a mental health condition. 

As part of the College of Arts and Sciences Themester, Glenn Close spoke on behalf of her organization’s mission in a lecture titled “Ending Stigma, Changing Minds and Saving Lives through Mental Health Advocacy” at 3 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Indiana Memorial Union Whittenberger Auditorium.

As Close took the stage, she unbuttoned her coat to reveal a t-shirt with “#stigmasucks” across the front. The t-shirts were part of IU Sociology Club and the School of Public Health’s campaign to raise awareness about mental illness.  
 
“My sister was not given adequate treatment until she was 50 years old,” Close said. “I observed that the stigma and misunderstanding surrounding mental illness is as painful as the diseases themselves.”

Close reflected on her experience growing up in a family and a time when seeing a psychiatrist was uncomfortable and unthinkable, despite patterns of mental illness in several generations of her family.

“Even though my father was a doctor, we still didn’t have a way of discussing mental illness,” Close said. “Millions of families don’t have a vocabulary for it.”

One in six adults lives with a brain-related illness including depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD and schizophrenia, according to the BC2M’s website, bringchange2mind.org.

Jill Bolte Taylor, who teaches in the IU School of Medicine, introduced Close’s lecture. Taylor is a nationally renowned speaker on neuroanatomy and her book, “My Stroke of Insight.”

“More people are recognizing mental illness as a physical brain disorder, compared to the past where mental illness was seen as a character flaw or the result of poor parenting,” Taylor said. “People are becoming less ashamed about getting help.  When you break your leg, you go to the doctor. Mental illness is just the same.”

The Bring Change 2 Minds website offers a series of public service announcements aimed to separate myth from fact. BC2M’s second PSA titled “Schizo,” plays like a trailer for a horror film and features Close’s nephew, Calan Pick.

The camera shoots down a dark hallway and ends with Pick standing in a kitchen, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you if you were expecting a lunatic on a rampage,” he said in the final scene.

Close had tears in her eyes as she told the audience of Pick’s progress. He has been traveling the country to empower others to share their stories.

Laura Jesseph, board member of Bloomington’s chapter for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, was in the audience with the Family-to-Family class, a program that offers weekly meetings for people who have family members with mental illnesses.
She said she hopes to offer a stable on-campus NAMI group as a resource for students.

“We resonate with a story,” Jesseph said. “Being able to share experiences is a way of bringing the issue forward.”

Follow reporter Jill Ranegar on Twitter @JillRanegar.