Carrie Fisher remembered as mental health champion

Carrie Fisher is being remembered as a fearless mental health champion, who frequently spoke out about the often-uncomfortable subject.

Fisher passed away Tuesday at the age of 60, days after suffering a full cardiac arrest.

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Idolized as a trailblazer on-screen, the Star Wars alum was never one to cut corners when it came to her battles with bipolar disorder and addiction.

In an interview with Dianne Sawyer in 2000, she described herself as a recovering “drug addict, pure and simple,” before divulging her struggle with manic depression, a term once commonly used for bipolar disorder.

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She described her two moods: wild and rollicking Roy versus sober, sobbing Pam.

“I am mentally ill. I can say that. I am not ashamed of that. I survived that, I’m still surviving it, but bring it on. Better me than you.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I am mentally ill. I can say that. I am not ashamed of that. I survived that, I'm still surviving it, but bring it on. Better me than you."

She abused prescription pills for years, and underwent electroshock treatment.

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Fisher’s blunt admissions came along before such confessionals became somewhat routine. She wrote a 1987 semi-autobiographical novel, Postcards from the Edge, and a one-woman show, Wishful Drinking, that went to Broadway and TV.

She was honoured by the National Alliance on Mental Illness for her work battling mental health stigma in 2001.

Her dog Gary was a fixture at her side in recent years, and Fisher had discussed what a comfort the animal was for her.

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She said in an interview with NPR that while the French bulldog was not officially a therapy dog, that was very much what he had become.

“Yeah. I – you know, I didn’t get him for that, but he’s very soothing to have around,” Fisher said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Yeah. I - you know, I didn't get him for that, but he's very soothing to have around," Fisher said.

Upon the news of her death, many messages of condolences urged a continuation of her legacy surrounding mental health awareness.

Fisher is survived by her daughter, Billie Lourd (who will care for Gary), and her mother Debbie Reynolds.

With files from the Associated Press