What would your answer be if I asked you about a celebrity’s life? Maybe your first thought would be fame, light, money, and beauty. They simply have it all, right? Well, you better believe that what appears on the outside is, sometimes, totally different from what is inside.
In fact, many celebrities have experienced mental health issues. Some of them have used their platforms to share their stories and what they have gone through. This raises public awareness of the severity and seriousness of mental issues.
Here are some celebrities who have battled mental health issues:
Chrissy Teigen
A successful model, author, food blogger, and television host. Teigen is the wife of multi-platinum recording artist John Legend. Obviously, she has all that she needs to live happily. Love, celebrity, and wealth. However, in April 2017, Teigen started to open up. She said, in an essay published by “ Glamour Magazine”: “ to a lot of you, I seem to like the happiest person on the planet. I had everything I needed to be happy. And yet, I felt unhappy. What basically everyone around me – but me- knew up until December was this: I have postpartum depression”. She added: “ I have a great life. I have all the help I could need. But postpartum does not discriminate”.
Lady Gaga:
Her success in both music and acting didn’t prevent her from post-traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD). On the premiere episode of “ The Me You Can’t See”, a documentary series on mental health, hosted by Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey, Gaga talked about her experience. She remembered the moment when she was asked by an unknown producer to take her clothes off, otherwise, he would burn her music. She said: “ I was 19 years old, and I was working on the business, and a producer said to me take your clothes off”.
Years after, Lady Gaga was diagnosed with PSTD, she spoke about it openly in 2016. “ first I felt full-on pain. The way I felt when I feel pain is how I felt after I was raped”. The singer added describing her condition: “ it’s a really very real thing to feel like there’s a black cloud following you wherever you go, telling you that you are worthless and should die. And I used to scream and throw myself against the wall”.
Demi Lovato
Singer, songwriter, and actress, Lovato revealed her experience with bullying, addiction, an eating disorder, and depression. “ for years, people said I was depressed, and I actually didn’t know myself why I was so upset. What I know now is mania”. Demi was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2011 when she was getting treatment for addiction and eating disorders. She said: “ I didn’t really realize I was sick. My mind was racing and it’s an ongoing thing and I still learn how to cope with it”. The former Disney star decided to speak publically “ to get awareness out there”.
Leonardo DiCaprio
The Oscar winner actor confessed that he was struggling with obsessive-compulsive disorder. He admitted that often obsessive-compulsive about sidewalk stains left by chewing gum. He said that his OCD tendencies, however, are under control, saying: “ okay, you’re being ridiculous, stop stepping on every gum stain you see. You don’t need to do that”.
Mental health issues may have different causes, it may affect various people no matter their status, their age, or their race. They can seize you and take hold of you anytime, anywhere. If you suffer from one, it’s okay. We are all on the same page. Just be open about it and seek help.
BE STRONG