The movie star-turned-author was diagnosed as a bipolar sufferer in her 20s and has battled mental illness and severe bouts of depression ever since.
And in an extremely candid TV chat with Oprah Winfrey, which aired in America on Tuesday (15Feb11), Fisher revealed she has learned to cope with severe lows thanks to shock therapy.
She told the stunned TV talk show queen, “Did you see (film) One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest? Well, it’s (electro-shock therapy) not like that… A lot of people have had it that benefited from it.
“They put you to sleep, they give you a medication so there are no more convulsions or anything… It’s over very quickly and you go home and take a nap… I had it when I did get into depression that medication could not handle.”
And the actress admits she has even learned to stay positive about the memory loss she suffers following the sessions: “I don’t remember movies I’ve seen, so I get to see them over and over again.”
Her proud mother Debbie Reynolds, who joined her on the Oprah Winfrey Show, teared up as she spoke about the benefits of the treatment.
The movie icon said, “I admire her strength and survival and I admire that she is alive, that she has chosen to make it. It would have been easy to give up and to give in.”
But Reynolds is saddened by the fact her daughter will never be naturally happy without medication: “I want happiness for my daughter and I can’t have that.”
