Glenn Close is working on a new campaign to create awareness about mental illness issues in the U.S., according to Contact Music. The Hollywood actress is supporting the initiative, Bring Change to Mind, which hopes to encourage others to openly discuss their illnesses. The Fatal Attraction star opened up about her sister Jessie who suffers from bipolar disorder:

“It started because we have mental illness in our family. I’ve seen the suffering and I’ve seen what stigma does and how costly it is.

On BringChangeToMind.org, we’ve established a portal for any help you need and any information you need. We just want to talk about it.”

After her sister was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 47, they found out that their family had a history of mental illness issues. She said:

“We found out later there were other people in our family (who suffered from mental illness). My grandmother was seriously depressed.”

Close urges others to get help:

“Get treated. The symptoms are treatable and you will have a fully functionable (sic) life. But you have to get the right meds (medication), the right diagnosis.”

I think it’s great for her to come forward. There’s no reason for people to be ashamed of dealing with mental health issues. We would probably see a lot less violence in the world if people received the treatment they needed.

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