10 Celebrities Who Were Brave Enough to Open Up About Their Mental Health Struggles

It’s never easy to speak up about mental health problems. And there are several reasons for this. Some people don’t want to receive a diagnosis of anxiety or depression due to the stigma surrounding these problems. Others can’t admit that they feel down or are just unable to cope with it because of their friends’ or families’ attitude. And there’s another group of people that just doesn’t believe that there is anybody who can help them. But some celebrities were brave enough to open up, and they found tons of support from other people.

Bright Side wants to encourage people to stop being afraid, shy, or negative with 10 examples from famous people. It is possible to overcome this problem and you are not alone!

1. Brad Pitt

This famous actor confessed that there was a dark period in his life at the end of the 90s. “I was hiding out from the celebrity thing. I was sitting on the couch and just turning into a doughnut, and I really got irritated with myself.”

His life changed after a trip to Casablanca, Morocco. He made a decision to get off the couch and do something with his life after he observed life there. “I saw poverty to an extreme, that I had never witnessed before, and we talked about inequality and health care, and I saw just what I felt was so unnecessary, that people should have to survive in these circumstances — and the children were inflicted with a lot of deformities, and things that could have been avoided had become their life sentence. It stuck with me.”

2. Lady Gaga

It is extremely hard to imagine that such an outrageous and energetic singer like Lady Gaga could suffer from mental illness. But it seems that image can sometimes be a cover for a vulnerable person. In her speech at the SAG-AFTRA awards she raised a very important question about mental health outreach and revealed that she has to deal with PTSD and dissociation.

She used to say ’yes’ to every job opportunity, and by doing so she shut down her inner voice. To which Gaga says, “which I have learned now is very unhealthy. I began to notice that I would stare off into space and black out for seconds or minutes. I would see flashes of things I was tormented by, experiences that were filed away.” These conditions “later morphed into physical chronic pain, fibromyalgia, panic attacks, acute trauma responses, and debilitating mental spirals that have included suicidal ideation and masochistic behavior.”

3. Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez has inspired a lot of people. Having lupus, she continues to live a full life though she had to have a kidney transplant due to complications from this chronic autoimmune disease. In her interview with Harper’s Bazaar the singer said that she had a lot of issues with depression and anxiety.

“It’s not something I feel I’ll ever overcome. I think it’s a battle I’m gonna have to face for the rest of my life, and I’m okay with that because I know that I’m choosing myself over anything else.”

4. Kesha

In one of her interviews, Kesha talks about how she was raised by a mother who was oblivious to social norms. The singer also speaks up about the bullying in her childhood and teen years for having things that made her unique and how this impacts her life today, she says, “I know from personal experience how comments can mess up somebody’s self-confidence and sense of self-worth. I have felt so unlovable after reading the cruel words written by strangers who don’t know a thing about me.”

To cope with her problem, Kesha had to change her relationship with social media. “I love it because it’s how I communicate with my fans — and nothing means more to me than my fans — but too much of it can exacerbate my anxiety and depression.”

5. Ryan Tedder

In 2017, Ryan Tedder, OneRepublic’s lead singer, made an honest post on Facebook. He wanted to explain to his fans why there was a long break in work for their group. “I (Ryan) hit a physical, emotional, and psychological wall. I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, not sleeping, on meds, not happy, anxiety at a crippling level, and it was triggered from sheer exhaustion.”

Ryan wanted to stop, saying, “I called my manager and said, pull the plug.” But, fortunately for fans this decision was not made. In the same post, the singer wrote “We are going to,” signifying the fact that they were not going to give up, and would continue giving concerts.

6. Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow is a mother of 2 children. And she reveals that she had a hard time when her son, her second child, was born. She went through postpartum depression, and it was not something she expected. “I thought postpartum depression meant you were sobbing every single day and incapable of looking after a child.”

But it appeared to be the most painfully debilitating period of her life. “I felt like a zombie. I couldn’t access my heart. I couldn’t access my emotions. I couldn’t connect. It was terrible.” She admits that acknowledging the problem was the hardest part, and that was when her recovery started.

7. Adele

Gwyneth Paltrow is not the only one who had to face postpartum depression. Adele knows how it feels as well. In her interview with Vanity Fair she admits that she is very available to depression. According to her words, it started when her grandfather died. “While I never had a suicidal thought, I have been in therapy, lots.”

She reveals that postpartum depression turned into very hard time. “I didn’t talk to anyone about it. I was very reluctant. My friends who didn’t have kids would get annoyed with me.”

8. Ariana Grande

In 2017, Ariana Grande gave a concert at the Manchester Arena. At the end of it, an incident took place. This is when Ariana had to cope with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

She notes that she has always had anxiety. “I’ve never really spoken about it because I thought everyone had it, but when I got home from tour it was the most severe I think it’s ever been.”

9. Justin Bieber

In 2016, Justin Bieber made a post on Instagram with an announcement about the cancellation of his meet-and-greets. He explained that he enjoyed having meetings with incredible people, but he ended up feeling very drained and unhappy after dealing with their energy. “I want to make people smile and happy, but not at my expense. I always leave feeling mentally and emotionally exhausted to the point of depression.”

In an interview, he also says that people can see only the glam and the amazing stuff. But “you get lonely, you know, when you’re on the road. This life can rip you apart.”

10. Princess Diana

Unfortunately, depression can affect anyone. Even if you are a princess, this doesn’t mean that you are exempt from mental problems. In an interview recorded in 1995, Princess Diana talked about her depression and subsequent bulimia after giving a birth to William. “You’d wake up in the morning feeling like you didn’t want to get out of bed, you felt misunderstood, and just very, very down on yourself.”

She wanted help, but got labeled instead, “Diana’s unstable and Diana’s mentally unbalanced.” “I didn’t like myself, I was ashamed because I couldn’t cope with the pressures.”

Have you ever had any mental disorders? How did you cope with the symptoms? Share this article with your friends or relatives who may need to get inspired and seek some support.