Carrie Fisher’s Life in Photos Through the Years, Including Her Role in ‘Star Wars’

2000: Speaking Out About Her Illness

Carrie decided to speak publicly about her Bipolar I diagnosis in 2000, beginning her long road of advocacy surrounding mental health. “One of the things that baffles me (and there are quite a few) is how there can be so much lingering stigma with regards to mental illness, specifically bipolar disorder. In my opinion, living with manic depression takes a tremendous amount of balls,” Carrie wrote in her memoir Wishful Drinking. In 2004, she posed for the cover of bp Hope magazine, a Bipolar awareness publication, which brought even more exposure to the illness.