Famous for her role as Princess Leia in Star Wars and Author of Postcards from the Edge, Carrie Fisher has lived with bipolar disorder for two decades.

The daughter of movie star Debbie Reynolds and singer Eddie Fisher, Carrie Fisher was addicted to drugs in her mid-20s, and told she had a form of mania. At the time, she found this hard to believe. 'I used to think I was a drug addict, pure and simple — just someone who could not stop taking drugs willfully,' says Fisher. 'And I was that. But it turns out that I am severely manic depressive.'

After subsequent episodes and treatment, Fisher is now managing well, and speaking out about her experience of bipolar disorder. Formerly married to Paul Simon, Carrie Fisher lives with her daughter, has recently appeared on Channel Nine's Sex in the City, continues to write books and has become one of Hollywood's highest paid 'script doctors'.