Creating a Judgement-free Zone Around Mental Health - Alessandra Torresani
Having made her television debut at just 9 years old, Alessandra Torresani is well-known for her roles in The Big Bang Theory, Caprica, Arrested Development and Malcolm in the Middle. In our interview with Alessandra, she gets candid about navigating adult life as an actress after she was diagnosed with Bipolar 1 at the age of 22. Despite being discouraged from talking about her mental health openly, Alessandra realized the importance of encouraging stigma-free conversations about mental health after she decided to share her story.
She said, “I’m Alessandra Torresani, and I am bipolar. Who wants
to talk?” It turns out, a lot of people did. This “talk” kick-started
her advocacy to normalize talking about mental health issues, and she has since
started her own podcast, called EmotionAL
Support, where she discusses mental health with her guests.
In this episode, we discuss:
- Alexandra's childhood and her journey through misdiagnosis
- The importance that documenting both highs and lows has on
receiving an accurate diagnosis
- Alessandra’s work with NAMI, and the conference where she
shared her bipolar diagnosis
- How toxic positivity discourages people from talking about
their struggles
- Finding emotional support and comfort
- The difference between mental health and mental illness
- What we can do to help destigmatize the conversation around
mental health
According to Alessandra, it's vital that we start talking about
mental health openly and encourage people to seek support and medical help when
they need it. This is the only way to foster an environment where every single
one of us can celebrate our individuality and uniqueness.
Where to find Alessandra:
Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialAlessandraTorresani
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alessandratorresani/?hl=en
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALtorresani?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Clubhouse: https://clubhousedb.com/user/alessandratorresani
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessandra-torresani-75178121/
Podcast: https://www.emotionalsupportpod.com/
Podcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/emotionalpod
Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emotionalsupportpod/
Podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/710491219388010/?source_id=298097584405277
National Alliance on Mental Illness (Nami): https://www.nami.org/Home
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=23010497)
This is an encore episode and was originally published on May 19, 2021.
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