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- Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Photo by Eva Rinaldi, Flickr. “I found that with depression one of the most important things you could realize is that you’re not alone.
- Stormzy. “If there’s anyone out there going through it [depression], I think for them to see that I went through it would help. Because for a long time I used to think that soldiers don’t go through that.
- Wil Wheaton. “One of the primary reasons I speak out about my mental illness, is so that I can make the difference in someone’s life that I wish had been made in mine when I was young, because not only did I have no idea what Depression even was until I was in my twenties, once I was pretty sure that I had it, I suffered with it for another fifteen years, because I was ashamed, I was embarrassed, and I was afraid.”
- Trevor Noah. “One of the best things that helps depression is work, and socialising with other people and connecting. Because when you work you find purpose.”
Feb 22, 2019 · From Ryan Reynolds to Brad Pitt and Michael Phelps, these male celebrities have opened up in one way or another about their own struggles with depression.
- Ben Radding
- unknown@hearst.com
- Overview
- Kanye West
- Demi Lovato
- Michelle Obama
- Ben Affleck
- Pete Davidson
- Taraji P. Henson
- Justin Bieber
- Demi Moore
- Carrie Ann Inaba
Since the age of 7, singer Demi Lovato has dealt with suicidal thoughts and depression. On September 10, 2020, World Suicide Prevention Day, the pop star took to Twitter to share her history of mental illness with her fans. She assured them that “it is possible to see the light when you start the work on yourself."
Having weathered addiction, bulimia, and bipolar disorder, Lovato said that she’s “living proof that you never have to give into those thoughts.”
Her mother used to be afraid to wake her up in the morning for fear that she’d find her dead. Although Lovato has often struggled, she admitted, she told her fans that “you can get through whatever it is you’re going through.”
In partnership with the suicide prevention nonprofit Hope for the Day, Lovato also released a single called “OK Not To Be OK” with DJ and producer Marshmello to destigmatize mental illness. Lovato said that she is vocal about suffering from suicidal ideation and her other psychological struggles to let others know they’re not alone and that there is a way out.
In 2018, Lovato had a near fatal drug overdose and released a single called “Sober” about relapsing. She has linked some of her psychological disorders to her late birth father, whose mental illness prevented him from raising a family, she said.
"Now I've got older and I've been able to grieve the loss of him and I've been able to step back and look from a distance that he was mentally ill and it wasn't his heart that meant to abandon me, I've been able to overcome his loss and understand where everything went wrong,” she said in 2018. "And that sadness has been going away."
Having suffered from anxiety and depression, Golden Globe-winner Taraji P. Henson has not only been vocal about her psychological problems but also about destigmatizing mental illness in the Black community.
Henson has survived the death of her father from cancer in 2006 and the murder of her son’s father in 2003. When she sees news headlines about the killings of young Black men, it makes her fear for her son’s life.
Henson told Self magazine in 2019 that her anxiety symptoms include heart palpitations, sweating, nervousness, rumination, and feelings of helplessness. Moreover, she described her depression as a condition that can be “hard to climb up out of.”
In 2018, the “Empire” star started a foundation that focuses on mental health in the African American population. As part of her advocacy, Henson testified before the Congressional Black Caucus’s forum on youth suicide in 2019.
Henson acknowledged that she has been praised for being a young single mother who graduated from college and eked out a Hollywood career. Still, she said that she often struggled during her journey to fame and that the myth of the “strong Black woman” is more harmful than helpful.
“There are some times where I feel absolutely helpless,” she told Self. “That's human. Everybody feels like that. Just because I'm a Black woman, don't put that strong-superhero thing on me.”
One of the most revered pop stars in the world, Justin Bieber shocked many of his fans when he took to Instagram to detail the struggles he faced after he shot to fame as a 13-year-old. In a social media post, the singer described how he began to believe the non-stop praise he received from the public, which led him to develop a sense of entitlement.
He explained that he lacked a sense of personal responsibility for his behavior and “abused” his relationships. "I became resentful, disrespectful to women, and angry," he wrote. "I became distant to everyone who loved me... I felt like I could never turn it around."
Bieber admitted that he turned to drugs to cope, and his behavior became increasingly erratic. Finally, in 2014, he was arrested for vandalism, driving under the influence, and other charges.
“It's hard to get out of bed in the morning… when it feels like there's trouble after trouble after trouble," he stated on Instagram. "Sometimes, it can even get to the point where you don't even want to live anymore. Where you feel like it's never going to change." Hopelessness, suicidal ideation, and lack of energy are all symptoms of depression.
Bieber has described how his religious faith and the support of his loved ones helped him turn his life around. Moreover, in 2018, he married the model Hailey Baldwin.
"It's taken me years to bounce back from all of these terrible decisions, fix broken relationships, and change relationship habits," he wrote. "Luckily, God blessed me with extraordinary people who love me for me. Now I am navigating the best season of my life: MARRIAGE!"
In her 2019 memoir, "Inside Out," actress Demi Moore describes an unstable childhood, rape, substance abuse, and the breakdown of her marriage to Ashton Kutcher, which ended in 2013. Along with these traumatic events, Moore discusses the depression she experienced after she miscarried a six-month pregnancy and was unable to conceive afterward.
She blamed herself for the pregnancy loss because she drank shortly before and smoked shortly after finding out she was expecting. “I can’t even bring fully to words how lost, empty, desperate, confused (I was),” she said during a "Good Morning America" interview about her book. "I really lost sight of everything that was right in front of me, which is the family I had, and I think the weight that it put on Ashton.”
Her substance abuse became so bad that she almost drowned after drinking heavily. She also abused Vicodin after dental surgery—but went through detox for addiction to the narcotic. Recovering from her miscarriage and her substance abuse addiction made her feel like she'd "lived through a war," and her depression deepened when her marriage fell apart.
However, Moore also cites her childhood trauma as the source of her pain. “I really know that there are parts of what occurred with this relationship ending that were a level of devastating for me that was really just about that relationship, it was really about my whole life," she told Diane Sawyer. “It was about being the 2-year-old who wasn’t safe, that this really represented that I’m not lovable, that I’m not deserving, and that’s not about him. That’s all just about me.”
Dancer and television personality Carrie Ann Inaba revealed on CBS’s “The Talk” in 2018 that she has suffered from depression and taken medication to treat the condition.
“There was a time, a few years ago when my father died, four days before ‘Dancing with the Stars’ started, and I went through a whole bunch of problems,” she said. “I moved, and my fiancé and I broke up, and I had to go on antidepressants. You can’t judge people for being on meds because it’s very personal, and you have to make the choice that is right for you.”
Her medication, however, resulted in unpleasant side effects. For example, she said she began to hallucinate that she was repeatedly stabbing herself. After taking those meds for three months, she decided to speak up about how they made her feel and get a new prescription. She credits her support system with helping her make that decision.
With the new prescription, “They helped me find a new homeostasis and remember what it felt like to feel good… for me, it was very helpful, even though I had some struggles.”
- Nadra Nittle
- Alexandra Ramos
- Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga has been in a few movies and TV shows alongside her famous singing career, but she's also opened up about her battle with depression and anxiety throughout her whole life.
- Pete Davidson. Pete Davidson has sprung up on the scene in the last few years. From his time on Saturday Night Live until he left in May 2022, to his many great movies that he's starred in, Davidson has made himself a household name.
- Jared Padalecki. Jared Padalecki is known for his role on the hit TV show Gilmore Girls and his co-starring role on the long-running series Supernatural, which lasted for fifteen years, and a role he could play again some day.
- Jim Carrey. Jim Carrey is known for many incredible movies, and the actor has been very open about his mental state for several years. The 6 Best Jim Carrey Movies, And The 4 Worst.
- Healthcentral
- Ashley Judd. In a 2013 Today Show interview, Ashley Judd told Matt Lauer, "I was absolutely, certifiably crazy and now I get to have a solution, and for those who are co-dependent or suffer from depression, there is a solution."
- Emma Stone. When she was 9 years old, Emma Stone drew a picture of her anxiety, a scary green monster that Stephen Colbert showcased for his audience in his 2017 interview with the Academy Award-winning actress.
- J. K. Rowling. Even more gripping than her epic Harry Potter books is the British author’s 2008 Harvard commencement address where she explained how failure and times of darkness can guide you to a sense of purpose.
- Halle Berry. When her marriage to baseball player David Justice failed, Halle Berry became despondent and tried to commit suicide. In an interview with Parade magazine in 2007, the Oscar-winning actress revealed that she tried to gas herself.
Nov 14, 2023 · Zac Efron opened up about having "pretty bad depression" after going through very intense dieting and training for Baywatch. He also revealed that he over-trained, ate the same three meals every...
Apr 19, 2022 · 20 Male Celebrities Speaking Out About Mental Health And Encouraging Others To Do The Same. Mental health matters, and these guys are letting men know that applies to them as well.
