By Jenny Sihua Wang
On November 6th, leading child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Harold Koplewicz interviewed actress Lorraine Bracco at the Child Mind Institute's 12th annual Adam Jeffrey Katz Memorial Lecture.
Ms. Bracco is best known for her roles as Dr. Melfi in the TV series The Sopranos and as Karen Hill in Goodfellas. What many do not know about her, however, is that she struggled throughout her life with dyslexia and depression. Both her environment and her personality helped her overcome these challenges, and to lead successful modeling and acting careers.
As a child, Ms. Bracco felt a great sense of anxiety when asked to read aloud during class. She would often be unable to read the words on the page smoothly, and as a result, she felt like an idiot. In reality, she was not dull; rather, she had dyslexia, a disorder that affects approximately 10% of the population. Yet because her parents never considered a connection between her poor performance in English class and dyslexia, she was not diagnosed as a child. Ms. Bracco was nevertheless able to survive in school by developing a sense of humor, and by keeping positive about her situation.
Dr. Kopelwicz noted that many successful individuals had an adult in their lives that told them that they were bright, and asked whether Ms. Bracco had one. She responded in the affirmative: Mr. Horowitz, her seventh grade English teacher, took an interest in her future and asked her what career she wanted to pursue. At first, she responded that she did not know. He continued asking her periodically, and in 10th grade, she told him that she wanted to become a model. He advised her to tell her parents, and helped her set up some appointments with modeling agencies.
The appointments paid off immediately: she signed a contract with the first modeling agency she met with. Soon, she was working, and when she was nineteen, she went to Paris to continue her modeling career. She remained in Paris for over a decade, eventually transitioning from modeling to producing a television show there. During her time as a producer, she met actor Harvey Keitel, with whom she eventually had a daughter. Their relationship drove her to return to the United States.
Her first job when she returned to the States was as a production assistant. Soon, she felt unhappy with the menial tasks the job required, and decided to try her hand at acting. Because of her dyslexia, she could not do cold readings of scripts, and had to ask for scripts beforehand to rehearse. Nevertheless, she began to get roles and to develop a career.
Her progress came to a jarring halt when she split from Mr. Keitel. Their ensuing custody battle over their daughter left her both emotionally and financially drained. Her acting career began to dry up, for casting directors did not want to take a risk on somebody undergoing a custody battle.
What followed was a period of deep depression. Ms. Bracco attributed her negative emotions to the ongoing custody battle, and believed that her condition was a temporary one. However, after the custody battle had been resolved, and she had been cast in and lauded for her role in The Sopranos, Ms. Bracco realized there was something wrong. Her life was on the upswing, yet she was still depressed.
After consulting with her psychiatrist, Ms. Bracco decided to take medication. Dr. Kopelwicz asked her how easy it was to make the decision to do so. She replied that it was a difficult choice, and that it took a particularly awful year before she admitted to herself she needed it. In the interview, she recounted the thoughts that ran through her mind at the time: "I'm an actor. Is this going to take away my feelings, my emotions, is this going to dull me?" She only agreed to get a prescription when her psychiatrist assured her that would not be the case.
She was on the medication for three months, during which she experienced a dramatic change in her outlook. Today, she maintains that taking medication was the smartest thing that she ever did for herself. Since then, she has undergone negative periods in her life, but she has never been too quick to get a prescription, for depression medication can be an invaluable tool, but should be overused. One such negative event was the death of both her parents and her dog, which occurred within nine days of one another. She was extremely upset at the time, but decided to give herself time to grieve before deciding to take medication. After several months, she knew that she could get by without it.
By carefully keeping track of her emotional status, Ms. Bracco has been able to combat her depression and to lead a fulfilling life. Dr. Koplewicz asked whether she applied the same sort of vigilance to her children. She responded that she takes careful note of the statuses of her two daughters, for her dyslexia gave her first-hand experience with the fact that parents often do not see or acknowledge their children's mental states. This lack of acknowledgement can have fatal results: Dr. Koplewicz said that 5000 individuals between the ages of 10 and 24 commit suicide every year. Early diagnosis and treatment can play a large role in preventing such tragedies.
Conditions such as depression are heavily stigmatized in our society, and are often looked upon less seriously than physical ailments. As a result, they are often left untreated. This stigmatization is highly detrimental, for disorders can be debilitating and sometimes even fatal if left untreated. Ms. Bracco is living proof that depression is surmountable, and that when necessary, medication can greatly improve one's quality of life.
The Child Mind Institute is an organization dedicated to the diagnosis, treatment, and research of childhood psychiatric disorders. For more information, visit childmind.org.
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