GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Risa Dorken Opens up About Her Bipolar Diagnosis
Actress Risa Dorken, who plays Nurse Amy on GENERAL HOSPITAL took to Instagram in April to share her struggle with mental health over the past months, including her diagnosis that she has bipolar disorder. She read from a written statement she prepared in a video where she revealed that as she celebrated her 30th birthday, she also learned she is bipolar. “I was hesitant to share my story at a time like this when everyone is struggling with anxiety, loss, grief, and more,” she said. “But perhaps that is the exact reason to share it. Because you are not alone.”
Dorken admitted that she was always considered a ray of sunshine and thought she’d never experienced depression outside of some loved ones. “In February 2020 I was restrained and put under two involuntary holds,” she confided. “The first one was 72 hours and the second one was for 48 hours. Both a week apart and both I was let out two hours shy for ‘good behavior’ even though I was not stable or better.”
The GH actress added that the for-profit facilities charged $1700 a night without mental health coverage and in her opinion, not only didn’t help, but made her condition worse. “I was ignored, laughed at, endangered, bullied, and terrified,” she confessed. “The experience was something I would never wish on anyone but was my only option.”
Dorken’s voice cracked as she tearfully recalled using her acting to get through the experiences, turning the holds into something that was not real, just theater. “I am sharing my experience because as I continue to get in touch with reality and find my way back to myself, back to Risa, I feel helpless,” she said. “I feel alone. I am now taking a drug I’ve never taken before after a life-changing experience I’ve never experienced with a mental illness I didn’t know I had.”
Not wanting anyone else to feel as alone as she did, Dorken emotionally explained that was why she was sharing her personal story to help others who might feel the way she did. “As with any illness, I ask that you please seek out a professional or tell a trusted loved one,” she urged. “I still have a lot to learn about all of this. But for now, I’m happy to be safe at home, counting my blessings. May you all be well.”
Please join us in wishing Dorken all the best and thank her for sharing her personal struggles in the hopes of helping others in the same situation.
