Hollywood Has a Responsibility of Not Glamorizing Addiction: Mariel Hemingway

Former actress Mariel Hemingway, who has now turned into a wellness guru and whose family has had to deal with suicide, has asked Hollywood film-makers not to glamorize addiction.

"I think there is a responsibility in Hollywood to not glamorize addictions and others things that are causes of problems," the 51-year-old star of Woody Allen's 1979 rom-com "Manhattan" told reporters in Washington.

Drug Abuse | Drug Addiction | Substance Abuse - Overview
The use of Drugs for reasons other than its prescribed recommendation, is known as Drug abuse or substance abuse. Drug abuse or substance abuse is initiated by various biological and social factors.

She was in the US capital for the AFI Docs festival screening of "Running from Crazy," director Barbara Kopple's documentary about the Hemingway family's struggle with substance abuse, mental illness and suicide.

Seven members of the Hemingway family have taken their own lives, most famously novelist Ernest Hemingway and model Margaux Hemingway, who was Mariel Hemingway's sister.

"Yes, I think there was a (family) curse," said Hemingway, a mother of two who lives outside San Francisco, teaches yoga and writes books about holistic living.

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"But I honestly believe that by making this film, and because of how I live my life, I don't feel I have a curse anymore," she said.

She disagreed with those who suggest that mental illness is genetic, saying: "You have to look at all the factors."

Alcohol Use Disorder | Alcoholism
Alcohol use disorder or alcoholism is an inability to control drinking. It can cause short term and long term physical, as well as psychological effects on the patient.

"Everybody that committed suicide in my family, at least, were addicts. They were trying to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol. All these things are very complicated," she told AFP.

"That's why I chose to live a lifestyle that I know supports my balance and well-being."

According to the Centers for Disease Control data, the number of suicides among Americans aged 35 to 64 -- a segment that includes many baby boomers -- has risen 28 percent in the last decade.

In 2010 the number of suicides (38,364) overtook the number of traffic fatalities (33,687).

Kelly Posner, founder of the Center for Suicide Risk Assessment, said 90 percent of those who die by suicide had an underlying mental illness, most often depression.

"Unfortunately, most of the people who need treatment do not get it," she said.

Source-AFP