Prozac-Themed Urn For Carrie Fisher's Ashes Raises Awareness And A Few Chuckles
NEWPORT BEACH (CBSLA.com) — Actress in an iconic role, published author, noted speaker.
Carrie Fisher was many things.
She was also bipolar and an outspoken advocate for treatment of mental illness.
When it came time to decide what to do with her ashes, her brother Todd Fisher, and daughter, Billie Lourd, came up with a most-inspired choice.
Todd explained that Carrie's favorite possession was a plastic, oversized Prozac capsule. So, that's where her ashes went, to be buried with her mother Debbie Reynolds.
"I love it. But I'm a psychiatrist," Newport Beach psychiatrist Gisoo Zarrabi said.
The good doctor spoke to KCAL9's Stacey Butler about the family's humorous decision.
"For a celebrity to be open about it, I think it brings a lot of awareness. It's makes it OK to talk about it. It's OK to express that you need help. She normalizes it," says Zarrabi.
Fisher never hid her battle with bipolar disorder or her mental illness through her adult life.
Even in death, her family is making sure her legacy and humor live on.
Zarrabi, who works at Harbor Psychiatry and Mental Health, never treated Fisher but she says Fisher's personal but public battle made it easier for countless others who struggle to come forward and seek help.
"I think there's such a negative stigma attached to mental health," she says. "People are just scared. They are terrified of the concept of crazy."
At her funeral, Fisher's brother carried the big pill containing her ashes. Fittingly, she got the last laugh.
"She's loved by everyone. So I think if she had stuff going on then it's OK," says Zarrabi.