Glenn Close and Family Tackle Stigma of Mental Illness.

아버지가 아프리카에서 의사를 해서 어린시절을 아프리카 와 스위스의 보딩스쿨등에서 교육받고, 대학때부터 연극, 공연등으로 기본기를 잘 갖춘 배우 글렌 크로스가 집안 식구들의 정신병력에 대해 과감히 털어놓고, 정신병에 대한 사람들의 의식전환 - 가족의 정신병을 감추는데 급급한 현실에 경종을 울리는 - 운동에 앞장서고 있답니다.

글렌은 정신질환이 있는 캐릭터를 연기해서 큰 호평을 받은 적이 몇 번 있었지요. 연기에서 정신질환은 극적인 효과로 작용될 수 있지만 현실에서는 전혀 그렇지 못하다고 피력하면서, 자신의 가족병력을 공개했습니다.

Mental illness and I are no strangers.

From Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction to Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar Named Desire to Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Weber's Sunset Boulevard, I've had the challenge -- and the privilege -- of playing characters who have deep psychological wounds. Some people think that Alex is a borderline personality. I think Blanche suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and everyone knows that Norma is delusional.

As I've written and spoken about before, my sister suffers from a bipolar disorder and my nephew from schizoaffective disorder. There has, in fact, been a lot of depression and alcoholism in my family and, traditionally, no one ever spoke about it. It just wasn't done. The stigma is toxic. And, like millions of others who live with mental illness in their families, I've seen what they endure: the struggle of just getting through the day, and the hurt caused every time someone casually describes someone as "crazy," "nuts," or "psycho".

                    abc show

                   Her sister, Jessie Close, has bipolar disorder. Jessie's son has schizo-affective disorder.

이 자매들이 하는 캠페인은 정신질환도 암처럼 공개되어져서 치료되고 주위의 격려속에 호전되어야할 '병' 이라는 것이죠.

글렌의 동생 제시는 자녀 셋을 두고 있고, 작가로 활동하고 있습니다. 자신이 평생 약으로 병세를 제어하면서 조심스럽게 살아나가야 한다는 것을 인정하면서, "be patient with yourself, love yourself" 를 같은 질병으로 의욕을 잃는 사람들에게 전하고 있습니다.

글렌은 현재 BringChange2Mind.org에서 활동하면서 정신질환에 대한 인식전환에 노력하고 있습니다.

Yet when it comes to bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress, schizophrenia or depression, an uncharacteristic coyness takes over. We often say nothing. The mentally ill frighten and embarrass us. And so we marginalize the people who most need our acceptance.

What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, more unashamed conversation about illnesses that affect not only individuals, but their families as well. Our society ought to understand that many people with mental illness, given the right treatment, can be full participants in our society

BringChange2Mind.org 가 전하는 메시지는 다음과 같습니다.

More than 48 million people in this country(USA) have some form of mental illness. Yet only around half of those people get treatment.
Why?
For many, the stigma associated with mental illness creates and/or compounds feelings of shame, isolation and fear of exposure.
You see, stigma is caused by either the wrong information (misperception), or no information at all (ignorance). Either one of which can cause a tremendous amount of fear, which is really what stigma is. Stigma = fear.
The good news is - stigma can be conquered. How? By those with a mental illness sharing their stories.  And by those without an illness - listening and learning.

    이렇게 실제 질환이 있는 가족들이 공개를 하면서 의식전환 캠페인을 하고 있습니다.