Mental health has been described as a “slow-growing epidemic” and the number of people dealing with it has increased by 10 per cent in the last 10 years.
The worst thing about it is that it doesn’t discriminate- anyone can be affected by it.
Check out 51 of the biggest celebrities in showbiz talking about their experiences with mental health, depression or anxiety.
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds opened up about the anxiety he experienced whilst filming Deadpool. “I never, ever slept. Or I was sleeping at a perfect right angle – just sitting straight, constantly working at the same time”, he explained. “By the time we were in post [production], we’d been to Comic-Con, and people went crazy for it. The expectations were eating me alive.” The 40-year-old credited his wife, Blake Lively, for helping him through it: “Blake helped me through that. I’m lucky to have her around just to keep me sane”.
Lena Dunham
Lena Dunham posted a message on her Instagram about using exercise to deal with her anxiety. She wrote: “Promised myself I would not let exercise be the first thing to go by the wayside when I got busy with Girls Season 5 and here is why: it has helped me with my anxiety in ways I’ve never dreamed possible. “To those struggling with anxiety, OCD, depression: I know it’s mad annoying when people tell you to exercise, and it took me about 16 medicated years to listen. I’m glad I did. It ain’t about the ass, it’s about the brain.”
Demi Lovato
The singer has never shied away from opening up about her problems and is determined to de-stigmatize mental illness by sharing her story. Demi Lovato said: “I just think mental illness is something people need to learn more about.I want people to know it’s okay to ask for help and it’s okay to have a mental illness.” Speaking at the National Council for Behavioral Health in Washington DC, she said: “I think it’s important that people no longer look at mental illness as something taboo to talk about. It’s something that’s extremely common, one in five adults has a mental illness, so basically everyone is essentially connected to this problem and this epidemic,” she explains. “The problem with mental illness is people don’t look at it as a physical illness. When you think about it, the brain is actually the most complex organ in your body. We need to treat it like a physical illness and take it seriously.”
Kerry Washington
As Scandal’s Olivia Pope, she is always solving problems and Kerry Washington knows the importance of having therapy to sort her own life too. “My brain and my heart are really important to me. I don’t know why I wouldn’t seek help to have those things be as healthy as my teeth. I go to the dentist. SO why wouldn’t I go to a shrink?”
Sarah Silverman
Sarah Silverman explained: “People use ‘panic attack’ very casually out here in Los Angeles, but I don’t think most of them really know what it is. Every breath is laboured. You are dying. You are going to die. It’s terrifying. And then when the attack is over, the depression is still there.
“I wouldn’t wish depression on anyone. But if you ever experience it, or are experiencing it right now, just know that on the other side, the little joys in life will be that much sweeter. The tough times, the days when you’re just a ball on the floor-they’ll pass. You’re playing the long game and life is totally worth it.”
“I wouldn’t wish depression on anyone. But if you ever experience it, or are experiencing it right now, just know that on the other side, the little joys in life will be that much sweeter. The tough times, the days when you’re just a ball on the floor-they’ll pass. You’re playing the long game and life is totally worth it.”
Zayn Malik
The One Direction star has been praised for his honesty over his “extreme anxiety” which has led to him having to cancel concerts. Zayn Malik said: “I have been working over the last three months to overcome my extreme anxiety around major live solo performances. “I don’t have it in me to feel secure in anything I do. I always strive towards something better. “It’s why I sometimes come across the wrong way – a bit distant. I’m stressed out trying to control how I’m perceived.”
Beyonce
Even a megastar like Beyonce sometimes struggles to feel ok. She said: “It was beginning to get fuzzy – I couldn’t even tell which day or which city I was at. I would sit there at ceremonies and they would give me an award and I was just thinking about the next performance. My mother was very persistent and she kept saying that I had to take care of my mental health.”
Read about other celebrities discussing their depression, anxiety and mental heath here.
Photos > Glamour Magazine
