While Hollywood’s most famous faces are thought of as ‘perfect’, there are a plethora of celebrities who face the daily struggle of mental illness.
From loneliness to extreme panic, mental health issues are seemingly becoming more and more common each year. And given the countless turns that 2020 has taken, it seems only fitting that we look out for others and realise that even the ‘rich and famous’ struggle with the same issues. Here are 10 celebrities who have been so open to discuss their mental health struggles with their fans.
1. Zendaya
View this post on Instagram
Opening up on her app, Zendaya revealed that her past struggles of dealing with anxiety every day, saying: “I used to struggle with anxiety pretty bad. It only happened when I sang live, not when I danced or did any other live performances, and it stemmed from a bad experience I had while singing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2013,” she wrote.
“I had my anxiety ever since that. I DID figure out how to bury my anxiety, though. I’ve tried focusing my energy on other things, like making movies. And I took my time and slowly built my confidence back up before I went back out on stage to sing live.”Â
2. Selena Gomez
View this post on Instagram
Selena Gomez has always been an open book regarding her struggle with mental health, particularly as it’s a common side effect from her ongoing battle with Lupus. In a new interview with People, Selena opened up about her mental health struggle, saying: “I do deal with mental health [issues] and I wanted that to also be known. In the beginning it seemed hopeless. Sometimes it was a challenge for me to even get out of bed.”
She went on to say that seeking help has empowered her, making her stronger. “I’ve tried a ton of different things, but the one thing I’ve never stopped doing is asking for help” she said. “That was the hardest part, but I truly believe that’s why I’m stronger. This is something that is the most important thing in the world to me ’cause it’s my mental health.”
3. Kendall Jenner
View this post on Instagram
Speaking of the “crazy panic attacks” she endured before receiving help for her anxiety, she revealed that she first experienced anxiety symptoms at a very young age, in an interview with Good Morning America. “I was really, really young and I remember feeling like I couldn’t breathe and running to my mom and being like: ‘Mom, I feel like I can’t breathe. Something must be wrong,'” she said.
After being diagnosed with anxiety, her anxious feelings eventually subsided. However, her anxiety re-emerged as her modelling career began to skyrocket. “Maybe like three years ago, four years ago, it came back completely full on and I would have crazy panic attacks,” she said. “Finally I kind of got the information that I needed about it.”
4. Dakota Johnson
View this post on Instagram
Speaking to Marie Claire U.S., Dakota revealed that she has “struggled with depression since I was young—since I was 15 or 14.” She continued: “That was when, with the help of professionals, I was like, ‘Oh, this is a thing I can fall into’. But I’ve learned to find it beautiful because I feel the world.”
“I guess I have a lot of complexities, but they don’t pour out of me. I don’t make it anyone else’s problem.”
5. Brie Larson
View this post on Instagram
Opening up in an interview with W Magazine, Brie Larson spoke out about the destructive thoughts experienced as a result of the beauty standards she held herself to when she felt her lowest. “I struggled with feeling ugly and like an outcast for so much of my life. And so I really, really feel for that. It took me a long time to be able to be totally comfortable with myself,” she admitted.
Back in July 2020, the Captain Marvel also opened up about her battle with anxiety and body dysmorphia in a YouTube video on her channel, saying: “For me, my baseline has been I’m an introvert with asthma. Like, that’s been my story for myself. I’m introverted, I’m scared, I have social anxiety,” she explained.
6. Demi LovatoÂ
View this post on Instagram
Appearing on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Demi Lovato & Kelly Clarkson opened up about their ongoing mental health battles. The pair spoke about how while everyone is on their own journey, with different mental health hurdles, the work is never finished, saying:
“Even when you overcome something, they’re like, ‘OK, she’s already overcome that.’ Like no, no, no, it’s a daily effort trying to be positive,” Clarkson said. “That’s not a given that you’re just over it and you went to some magical therapy session. That’s a daily thing that you work at and a daily thing that I work at.” But this isn’t Demi’s first time sharing her mental health, previously revealing her struggle with an eating disorder and self-harm.
“It was a way of expressing my own shame, of myself, on my own body. I was matching the inside to the outside. There were some times where my emotions were just so built up, I didn’t know what to do. The only way that I could get instant gratification was through an immediate release on myself.”
7. Lady GagaÂ
View this post on Instagram
While nowadays Gaga is a force to be reckoned with, the singer has opened up about how she’s been dealing with her own day-to-day struggles, namely PTSD, a lasting affect of being sexually assaulted when she was 19 years-old.
During a visit on The Today Show Gaga sat down with a group of LGBTQI+ teenagers explaining: “I suffer from PTSD. I’ve never told anyone that before, so here we are. But the kindness that’s been shown to me by doctors as well as my family and my friends, it’s really saved my life.”
Gaga went on to say how her own trauma has helped her understand what other people go through, “I don’t have the same kinds of issues that you have, but I have a mental illness. You are brave, you are courageous.”
8. Bella Hadid
View this post on Instagram
Bella Hadid opened up to The Telegraph about her own struggles with paparazzi-triggered anxiety, saying: “I used to get anxiety, freak out and start sweating… but now I can walk outside and be a little calm.” She also detoxes from social media from time to time. “Once a month I go for a few days and detox [from Instagram]. You look up and see the world around you, instead of just staring at your phone all day.”
9. Lili ReinhartÂ
View this post on Instagram
While we know her as Betty from Riverdale, Lili Reinhart has spoken out about her struggle with depression in a series of tweets for Mental Health Awareness Month:
“Riverdale* came into my life when I was going through the worst depression I had ever experienced. And in the end it completely saved me,” she wrote. “Since it’s mental health awareness month, I figured it would be good to share that. I worked my ass off to make a living out of what I love. And when I’m feeling depressed or sad, I remind myself how far I’ve come. And how I didn’t let my depression consume me…”
“To anyone out there who feels depressed or hopeless… do not fucking give up on yourself. You’re all you’ve got. And you deserve the world. Your mental health should be your priority. Don’t forget that. This is your life.. and you’ve only got one. So don’t waste it by being sad.”
10. Miley Cyrus
View this post on Instagram
Opening up about her struggle with depression, Miley Cyrus credits her supportive fans for getting her through her last bout. “[My fans] know that I’ve struggled with depression, and that helped them get over theirs. That gives me a big purpose – a reason to wake up in the morning that’s bigger than to put on my fucking feathers and my little outfits.”Â
Post comments (0)