MISSION

“It was Fisher’s willingness to tackle difficult subjects with wit and transparency that helped her transform her into a bona fide role model, especially for people afflicted with mental illness”  – Rolling Stone

Carrie Fisher was a role model who used her fame and success to help normalize mental illness and addiction (dual diagnosis). The Friends of Carrie Fisher Foundation is carrying on  Carrie’s legacy of mental health and addiction advocacy.

The foundation will address the need for awareness to end the stigma of addiction and mental health through musical/comedy events and education in schools and universities.  We will set up endowments to help pay for drug / alcohol treatment / therapy for those who can’t afford it as well as raise money for the research of bipolar 1 cure.

Carrie was our princess and the leader of the resistance we are driven to continue her fight.

Mara Paisley

Mara has a BFA from NYU and an MFA from the American Film Institute. She graduated with her MFT (marriage and family therapy) from Pepperdine University (Suma Cum Laude). She has completed her practicum training at Hope Gardens, a non-profit homeless and DV shelter, counseling single mothers and their children. The women at Hope Gardens are struggling with mental illness, substance use disorder, PTSD from domestic violence, and homelessness. Most of their children are on the spectrum and have been in foster care.

Mara deeply identifies with this population because, in 2005, she checked herself into rehab and, upon leaving the facility, was newly sober; within a week, she lost her job and marriage and found herself homeless, sleeping in her car. She met Carrie Fisher at an AA meeting, and Carrie invited Mara to stay at her house. Mara was forced to stop taking her psych meds for her GAD by her AA group, resulting in her becoming suicidal. Carrie, having a mental illness herself (bipolar 1), helped Mara with her suicidality and saved her life. If it weren’t for Carrie, she would not be alive. She is now over 19 years clean and sober and is determined to keep Carrie’s legacy of mental health and addiction advocacy alive.

In addition to Mara’s counseling and substance use disorder work, she is a published writer with articles in LA Magazine, The Huffington Post, The Jewish Journal, The Hollywood Journal, Keys to Recovery, The fix.com, and Glamour Magazine. Mara was also a stand-up comic and has produced, performed, and promoted many comedy/variety shows to advocate and raise awareness for mental health/recovery organizations such as This is My Brave, Rock to Recovery, Radford Hall, Serenity by the Sea, and the You Rock Foundation. Mara lives with her two boys and husband in Simi Valley, California.

Foundation History – Why It Was Created?

Mara Paisley, who lived with Carrie Fisher at her house when she was newly sober, created the foundation. Carrie saved Mara’s life when she was suicidal, barely holding on to her sobriety. Carrie was Mara’s guardian angel. When Carrie died on Mara’s birthday, she knew she had to carry on Carrie’s mission of advocating for mental health AND addiction, as both Carrie and Mara are dual diagnoses.

There are mental health and recovery organizations, but none address both. Oftentimes, recovery, which is under mental health, is forgotten about when talking about mental illness. Friends of Carrie Fisher Foundation will bridge that gap between two very large communities.

The Need for the Foundation

  • Nearly 1 in 5 Americans suffers From mental Illness each year.

  • There are 43.6 million American adults living with a psychiatric illness and 16.3 million who have an alcohol use disorder.

  • In 1999, the U.S. Surgeon General labeled stigma as perhaps the biggest barrier to mental health care; this stigma manifests particularly in a phenomenon known as social distancing, whereby people with mental issues are more isolated from others.  Eradicating the stigma and social distancing of people with mental illness must be a top public health priority in order to improve worldwide mental health and reduce economic burden.

  • The current opioid epidemic is the deadliest drug crisis in American history.  Overdoses, fueled by opioids, are the leading cause of death for Americans under 50 years old, killing roughly 64,000 people last year, more than guns or car accidents, and doing so at a pace faster than the H.I.V. epidemic at its peak.

  • Only 1 in 10 people who need treatment for substance use disorder are getting it – a ratio that would be unfathomable for conditions such as diabetes or kidney cancer.

  • While some addicts say they cannot find treatment or afford it, a fifth of those who were not seeking help feared negative opinions from their community, according to a frequently cited survey from 2014. They fear they will be blamed for their problems, kicked out of their homes or fired from their jobs, public health specialists said.

(Stats and research provided by Newsweek, NY Times, Psychology Today, CDC, Washington Times)

Collaborators

  • The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Mara Shapshay is a board member for NAMI West LA and helps produce and promote their live events to raise awareness and end the stigma against mental illness and addiction

  • Congresswoman Grace Napolitano – Mara Shapshay works with the Congresswoman on mental health and addiction forums and policy

  • This is My Brave – Mara Shapshay produces, promotes, hosts and performs in their LA live comedy/music shows to end the stigma against mental illness and addiction

  • You Rock Foundation – Mara works with You Rock Foundation for her live comedy/music shows to raise awareness for suicide prevention

  • Rock to Recovery – Mara helps produce Rock to Recovery rock and comedy shows to raise money for music therapy in treatment centers and is a board member

  • MAP – Musicians Assistance Program – Mara Shapshay works with MAP on her live music and comedy shows to help support musicians in need of addiction treatment

Resources

Websites for NAMI, SAMHSA, Suicide hotline, Didi Hirsch