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• World-Class Football Star's Depression and Suicide Stirs International Debate on Mental Illness Stigma

Victoria Maxwell, an actress and writer, battled depression for many years only to discover that it was the first sign of developing bipolar disorder.

After diagnosis, Ms. Maxwell tried to manage without treatment, but when she was found running down the street naked “toward God,” she said, she realized she needed outside help.

Before she was treated, Ms. Maxwell wrote “reams of awful poetry.” But once she found an effective medication, she said, she was able to produce more valuable work.

Ms. Maxwell has written and starred in two one-woman plays about her experiences with bipolar disorder. She hopes that talking about it will encourage other people to discuss their mental illness.

http://www.victoriamaxwell.com/