The Hollywood star most recognized for her work with Hugh Grant in Four Weddings and a Funeral is Andie MacDowell. The actor will now make an appearance in Maid, a brand-new drama series on Netflix. The actress felt that this role in particular stood out because she could identify with the character owing to her own health difficulties.
The Netflix series centers on a young mother Alex, who leaves an abusive relationship and finds work as a cleaner to support her child. Margaret Qualley, who plays Alex in real life, is Andie’s daughter. Paula, played by Andie, is a mysterious untreated bipolar patient to her daughter Alex. Speaking about the role she played, Andie revealed that her daughter had initially chosen her due to her own “personal experiences with mental illness.”
Andie’s mother also had bipolar, a mental health condition that affects your moods, just like the character she plays. Patients with bipolar disorder might fluctuate from one extreme to another, from mania to sadness.
Andie stated in a conversation with Brief Take: “I have a strong empathy for folks that have this complexity about their personality because there isn’t really anything you can do about it; it’s just how Paula is.
“I know from personal experience that that dynamic may occur with mental illness, but I believe Paula’s issue is simply that she doesn’t feel full or worthy without a male.
In order to satisfy her strong longing for a guy and overcome her own sense of unworthiness,
Because of her mother’s health, Andie experiences flashbacks from her tragic upbringing and struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Regarding this, she stated: “I’m still working on my anxiety; getting rid of so much PTSD is difficult. You can be certain that it is in your bones and nervous system.
Speaking with The Guardian, the celebrity gave a brief glimpse into her upbringing. She remembered times when she would check that her mother’s smokes were properly extinguished in the middle of the night.
Andie commented, “It’s remarkable we didn’t burn down; there were burn marks all over the floor and on the couch.
“I say, that’s a lot of accountability for a young person. I believe I have felt accountable my entire life.
Andie uses her past struggles to “connect into” characters like Paula despite feeling depressed about them.
She also doesn’t harbor any grudges against her mother, blaming alcoholism as a “terrible sickness” instead.
I don’t have a lot of rage, but I do have a lot of compassion, the actress declared. Stupid thing. I always experienced love.
People who have gone through trauma frequently develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). According to the NHS, people with the disease, which is a form of anxiety disorder, frequently relive unpleasant events through nightmares and flashbacks.
They may struggle to concentrate and have trouble sleeping as a result. An individual’s daily life will be significantly impacted by severe symptoms.
The symptoms may appear right away after a person experiences unpleasant events, or they may take months or even years to appear.
The NHS estimates that one in three people who suffer a traumatic event will be affected by PTSD, however it is unclear why some people experience the disorder and others do not.
There are effective treatments out there regardless of when the illness manifests. You will typically be referred to a mental health specialist for additional evaluation and therapy after speaking with a medical professional.
The effectiveness of any treatment is based on the severity and timing of the symptoms following the traumatic incident.
Any of the following remedies might be suggested:
Monitoring your symptoms to see if they get better or worsen without therapy is known as “watchful waiting.”
Antidepressants
psychological treatments like eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with a trauma focus (EMDR).
Therapy as a kind of treatment will provide you the chance to work on your thought and behavior patterns and assist you in processing the traumatic incident. It has been discovered that EMDR, which entails vividly recalling the traumatic event while moving your eyes, typically in response to your therapist’s finger movement, reduces symptoms.
