Tania Lacy’s battles with mental illness are no laughing matter | Herald Sun
WHEN Tania Lacy wakes up in the morning, she puts on her make up comfortable in the knowledge that she doesn’t have to hide any more
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, comedian Lacy — who now lives in
Balwyn North with her husband and son — was one of TV’s most
recognisable faces.
But lurking underneath the stardom was a
mental illness which would not only cost her a career, but could very
well have cost her life.
Lacy was suffering from undiagnosed borderline personality disorder.
She knew what was happening, but had no control over it which led to
relationship breakdowns, caused her career to plummet and saw her spiral
into a world of heroin abuse.
But through a mini-documentary, which airs on SBS 2’s The Feed tonight, Lacy, now a writer, hopes to clear the air about the demons that plagued her career.
“I see myself as a recovering celebrity,” she said.
“In a way, this is sort of my coming out, but also I hope others see this in someway as an apology for the way I was.
“Also, I want to highlight that we still have a long way to go in
understanding mental illness. If I had something like diabetes, people
wouldn’t bat an eyelid, but mental illness is immeasurable and people
are afraid of it.”
Lacy said she felt incredibly lucky to live in a
country like Australia that offered up treatment to people living with
mental illness.
“While I understand I have a mental illness, I am also very privileged,” she said.
“I have a roof over my head, food on the tables and I can access treatment whenever I need it.
“I always feel so sorry for people who live in third world countries that don’t have access to what I have.”
The mini-documentary is directed by Leader journalist Nicole Precel.
WHEN Tania Lacy wakes up in the morning, she puts on her make up comfortable in the knowledge that she doesn’t have to hide any more
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, comedian Lacy — who now lives in
Balwyn North with her husband and son — was one of TV’s most
recognisable faces.
But lurking underneath the stardom was a
mental illness which would not only cost her a career, but could very
well have cost her life.
Lacy was suffering from undiagnosed borderline personality disorder.
She knew what was happening, but had no control over it which led to
relationship breakdowns, caused her career to plummet and saw her spiral
into a world of heroin abuse.
But through a mini-documentary, which airs on SBS 2’s The Feed tonight, Lacy, now a writer, hopes to clear the air about the demons that plagued her career.
“I see myself as a recovering celebrity,” she said.
“In a way, this is sort of my coming out, but also I hope others see this in someway as an apology for the way I was.
“Also, I want to highlight that we still have a long way to go in
understanding mental illness. If I had something like diabetes, people
wouldn’t bat an eyelid, but mental illness is immeasurable and people
are afraid of it.”
Lacy said she felt incredibly lucky to live in a
country like Australia that offered up treatment to people living with
mental illness.
“While I understand I have a mental illness, I am also very privileged,” she said.
“I have a roof over my head, food on the tables and I can access treatment whenever I need it.
“I always feel so sorry for people who live in third world countries that don’t have access to what I have.”
The mini-documentary is directed by Leader journalist Nicole Precel.
