Do you think stars who have oodles of money, success, and fame have no reason to feel sad? Then our round-up of celebrities with mental health issues will wake you up to a jarring reality.
Money, fame, sprawling mansions, flashy cars, fandom; these celebs have it all; or do they? At the end of the day, when the costume and makeup come off, they are just like other human beings, with human emotions. There is a disturbingly long list of celebrities with mental health issues.
The infamous trial of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard showed us that the silver screen idols might not always lead a perfect life as envisioned by their fans. They too have their failures, setbacks, pain, and difficulties that the world knows nothing about.
Moreover, life in the limelight comes with its own set of insecurities and hardships, and being in the public eye makes it all the more difficult to talk about them or seek help, thanks to the still prevailing stigma and bias around mental health struggles.
But fortunately, there has been a welcome trend of celebrities with mental health issues being vocal about their real-life struggles and normalizing the topic in the process.
Read: Crying Psychology Facts
Here is our list of celebrities who have opened up about mental health:
15+ Celebrities With Mental Health Issues
These famous celebrities with mental health issues have sparked discussions, helped to dispel stigma, and encouraged people to seek proper medical care, by coming out with their stories.
1. Kristen Bell
During an interview for an off-camera program on YouTube, the Frozen star opened up about her challenging journey with depression and anxiety. Bell said that taking medication for one’s mental health is nothing to be ashamed about.
She added, “You would never deny a diabetic his insulin, but for some reason when someone needs a serotonin inhibitor, they’re immediately crazy or something.”
2. Hugh Laurie
The popular British actor who played the role of the brooding and dark Dr. Gregory House is known to have a similar dark side to his nature and is one of the famous celebrities with mental health issues. He suffered from depression ever since he was a teenager, but opted for treatment much later in his life. Sadly, the backlash he received after opening up about his mental health, made him regret his decision.
“I can understand how it might be perceived as an indulgence on many levels, because, first of all, I am quite preposterously lucky to be where I am, doing what I’m doing, and to have lived the life that I live. I give thanks for it every single day.“, said the actor in an interview appeared on the Celebitchy portal.
3. Jim Carrey
The man who so effortlessly made us laugh countless times with his on-screen theatrics had been in the grip of depression after his second marriage ended in divorce. He was on antidepressants for some time, but eventually got off meds and got his life on track again.
“You need to get out of bed every day and say that life is good. That’s what I did, although at times it was very difficult for me.”, the actor said in an interview with 60 Minutes.
4. Ellen Degeneres
Second, on our list of female celebrities with mental health issues is Ellen Degeneres. Shortly after coming out regarding her sexual orientation in 1998, her popular sitcom got canceled.
“I lost my show. I’ve been attacked like hell. I went from making a lot of money on a sitcom to making no money. When I walked out of the studio after five years of working so hard, knowing I had been treated so disrespectfully for no other reason than I was gay, I just went into this deep, deep depression.”
But due to her indomitable spirit, the famous comedian defied great odds, continued working in the industry, and found huge success, including her Emmy award-winning talk show.
5. Matthew Perry
For more than a decade, Mathew Perry as Chandler Bing made us all laugh and giggle with his amazing comic timing. But what nobody knew is that Perry himself was going through a dark time due to this drinking and opiate addiction. It’s heartbreaking to see the FRIENDS star on our list of celebrities with mental health issues.
“Trying to overcome addiction is one of the hardest things for a person to do. And the fact that I had to do it under the scrutiny of tabloid press at first made it seem even more difficult. But in fact, it oddly ended up being a plus. Because of the tabloid stuff, it wasn’t like I could walk into a bar and order a drink.”
After spending several years going in and out of many rehabs, the beloved actor is now clean and helping other Hollywood actors deal with their addiction challenges.
6. Angelina Jolie-Pitt
Before becoming an Oscar-winning actress, a UN Goodwill Ambassador, and a mother of six, Jolie-Pitt immensely suffered from depression. She even confessed to cutting herself and hiring someone to kill her.
Although she overcame her demon after finding success in Hollywood, her mother’s untimely death again brought her to the brink of depression, which she combated by taking up a physically challenging lead role in the action movie “Wanted”.
The actress made a bold statement by saying, “I felt I was going into a very dark place, and I wasn’t capable of getting up in the morning, so I signed up for something that would force me to be active.”
7. Lady Gaga
Next on our list of celebrities with mental health issues is Lady Gaga. The legendary pop star has openly admitted that she has struggled with depression and anxiety all her life.
In an interview with Billboard, the star said, “I learned that my sadness never destroyed what was great about me. You just have to go back to that greatness, find that one little light that’s left. I’m lucky I found one little glimmer stored away.”
Today, her foundation “Born This Way” works tirelessly for youth empowerment and providing necessary resources to young people who are struggling with depression, anxiety, and bullying.
8. Zach Braff
The Scrubs actor who wrote and directed Garden State also played the role of Andrew Largeman in the show. He once mentioned that he can relate a lot to this depressed and heavily medicated character.
“I think I suffer from some mild depression,” he said. “So to have millions of people go, ‘I watched your movie and related,’ was the ultimate affirmation that I’m not a freak.”
Read: How To Raise Dopamine?
9. Jean-Claude Van Damme
Among the male celebrities with mental health issues, the invincible Jean-Claude is a shocking entry. On the British reality show Behind Closed Doors, in 2011, the famous action star revealed that he was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder.
“Sometimes you’re gonna like me, and sometimes you’re gonna hate me. But what can I do? I’m not perfect,” the actor said. “I’m an extreme bipolar, and I’m taking medication for this…When I was young, I was suffering those swing moods. In the morning, the sky was blue [when I was] going to school, and to me, the sky was black. I was so sad.”
10. Brad Pitt
During the 1990s, when Brad Pitt was a rising star, his depression was dragging him to heavy use of marijuana. While traveling to Casablanca, Pitt witnessed stark poverty and finally realized he needs to seek medical intervention. Since then, he has successfully won over his addiction and mental health issues and has become one of the most popular Hollywood actors.
Describing his depression, he once said during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, “one of the seasons or a semester.” He went on to explain, “This semester I was majoring in depression. I was doing the same thing every night and numbing myself to sleep, the same routine. Couldn’t wait to get home and hide out. But that feeling of unease was growing and one night I just said, this is a waste.”
11. Britney Spears
Among the celebrities with mental illnesses in the music industry, Britney Spears is another feisty survivor. In 1997 the famous pop star went through the ordeal of a public divorce and postpartum depression, which made her sink into nervousness, severe depression, and debilitating anxiety. She checked into rehab and went on meds for her mental health. Spears credits her two sons and a few close friends for her recovery and healing.
“It made me feel like I was dead—like I didn’t matter… I just want my life back.”
12. Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon is one of the most beloved celebrities with mental health issues. She got married in her early 20s and went through a bitter divorce in 2007. The “America’s Sweetheart” actress acknowledges how her friends supported her during that dark period of her life.
“They came over, stood me up, put me in the shower, put my clothes on, took my kids to school, brought me dinner.”
Eventually, after a long hard battle, she took charge of her happiness again.
13. Katy Perry
During an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe in 2020, Perry got candid about her depressive episodes and self-doubts during her pregnancy and after her breakup in 2017. She quoted that she became “clinically depressed and had to get on medication for the first time in my life.”, proving the fact that celebrities with mental health issues have to go through the same painful experiences as the rest of us.
14. Selena Gomez
In April 2020 Gomez came out as one of the celebrities with mental health issues to the world. She revealed that she suffers from Bipolar disorder and also that by knowing the diagnosis and the knowledge about her condition, she felt more at ease.
The youth icon explains, “When I have more information, it actually helps me, it doesn’t scare me once I know it,” She further adds, “When I finally said what I was going to say, I wanted to know everything about it and it took the fear away.”
15. Dwayne Johnson
The “Rock” is one of the popular male celebrities with mental health issues who didn’t care about his public image while disclosing his tryst with mental illness.
One of Hollywood’s highest-paid action stars, he openly talked about his depression. “Took me a long time to realize it but the key is to not be afraid to open up. Especially us dudes have a tendency to keep it in. You’re not alone.”
Some other famous celebrities with mental health issues:
- Adele
- Ryan Reynolds
- Beyoncé
- Miley Cyrus
- Winona Ryder
- J.K. Rowling
- Halle Berry
- Princess Diana
- Prince Harry
- Kristen Stewart
Fight The Good Fight
If you’re someone who is suffering from any kind of mental health challenge, we hope by seeing how the celebrities with mental health issues have successfully turned their lives around even after going through so much pain and suffering, you will find the hope and courage that you were looking for, when you came across this article.
And if your loved ones are going through a hard time, don’t forget to share our list of celebrities with mental health issues with them.
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