Totally Tracey Online
Monday, March 12, 2007
Is Tracey bipolar? (I don't think so)
The hot topic on the TotallyTraceyUllmanClub Yahoo Group as of late has been, "is Tracey bipolar?" This was prompted by an article on a mental health parity bill now before Congress; it lists a number of famous people who were said to suffer from mental illness, and Tracey was listed as having bipolar disorder. One group member linked to a story from 2002 on the Erasing the Stigma awards that year, offering it as evidence that she admitted to being bipolar. Allow me to quote the relevant sections of that article:
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"Finally, actress/comedienne Tracey Ullman took the podium to present the Erasing the Stigma Leadership Award to her close friend, Carrie Fisher. With her trademark brand of over-the-top humor, Ullman noted that it is Carrie’s sense of humor that has helped her deal with her bipolar disorder.
“Why do I have to laugh at everything?” asked Ullman. “Because the alternative is pretty grim, isn’t it?”
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I read this as Tracey referring to Carrie's bipolar disorder, not saying that she herself was bipolar. But I can see how someone might read it the wrong way and draw the wrong conclusion. Perhaps someone did read it the wrong way and put Tracey on a list, and others have blindly repeated it.
Personally, I do not believe Tracey is bipolar. If she were, I'm sure she would have mentioned it in her interviews, talk show appearances, her Live and Exposed one-woman show, etc. She jokingly calls herself a "happy schizophrenic."
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"Finally, actress/comedienne Tracey Ullman took the podium to present the Erasing the Stigma Leadership Award to her close friend, Carrie Fisher. With her trademark brand of over-the-top humor, Ullman noted that it is Carrie’s sense of humor that has helped her deal with her bipolar disorder.
“Why do I have to laugh at everything?” asked Ullman. “Because the alternative is pretty grim, isn’t it?”
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I read this as Tracey referring to Carrie's bipolar disorder, not saying that she herself was bipolar. But I can see how someone might read it the wrong way and draw the wrong conclusion. Perhaps someone did read it the wrong way and put Tracey on a list, and others have blindly repeated it.
Personally, I do not believe Tracey is bipolar. If she were, I'm sure she would have mentioned it in her interviews, talk show appearances, her Live and Exposed one-woman show, etc. She jokingly calls herself a "happy schizophrenic."
