Lorraine Bracco Writes on Depression
Posted by Administrator in Mental Health.By the time she landed the role of Melfi, whose treatment of mob boss Tony Soprano forms the show’s psychological and moral backbone, Bracco was grappling with deep depression. Shortly after that, she sought professional counseling and was prescribed antidepressants.
Actually, it took portraying Melfi.. for Bracco to fully realize her darkened mood. “After decades of such hardships and working hard and praying to catch a break and then the break comes, I had to ask myself, ‘Why am I not jumping for joy?’ ” said Bracco.
“I realized I was going on, living life, but without any joy.”
Her bout with depression made Bracco determined to help others. Her message — “If I can do it, you can do it too” — motivated what turned out to be a painful writing process [of her memoir].
“People are suffering, and it breaks my heart. I think a lot of people are depressed, and they don’t know it. It’s like a low-grade fever. We’ve been told to buck up and just do it, and sometimes that’s not possible.” Her memoir, in which each chapter opens with a sage Melfi quote, is On the Couch. Read more