She told USA Today in 2002 she tried lithium to combat bipolar disorder and had also been on other medications.

"I outlasted my problems," Carrie told Diane Sawyer in 2001. "I am mentally ill. I can say that. I am not ashamed of that. I survived that, I'm still surviving it, but bring it on. Better me than you."

Humor, Carrie agreed, is essential for good health.

"Yes! I laugh a lot, actually. A lot," she told WebMD magazine. "I've gotten to an age where I enjoy my life. I've spent enough time struggling with it, and at this point it's living on one side of the magnifying glass; I stay on the side of making big things appear small. I enjoy myself and I have a lot of good friends, good relationships. You learn to get there."

"Having gone through a lot of stuff I've gone through—I don't want to do that stuff anymore," she said. "I take care of myself best as I can. I do the best imitation of maturity I can possibly muster."