11 Celebs Who’ve Spoken Out About Their Own Mental Health
Health problems can be tricky to talk about, but when it comes to mental health, everyone tends to find it that bit more difficult.
This World Mental Health Day (October 10th), we’re taking a look at the celebrities who have spoken out about their own mental health, which will hopefully make it easier everyone else to do the same.
1. When Justin Bieber cancelled his meet and greets earlier this year, he wrote in an Instagram post, “I always leave feeling mentally and emotionally exhausted to the point of depression.”
We don’t want that, do we, Beliebers? Here’s hoping Justin’s lack of meet and greets helps him feel less drained in future.
2. Miley Cyrus credits her fans with giving her the strength to fight depression.
“[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…” said the singer.
3. Kanye West admitted, at a screening of his short film Runaway in 2010, that he had suffered from suicidal thoughts in the past.
However, the rapper turned fashion designer managed to turn things around, saying, “I will not give up on life again. There's so many people that will never get the chance to have their voice heard. I do it for them.”
4. GIRLS creator Lena Dunham spoke about her anxiety-battling technique on Instagram.
“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.”
5. In an interview with Complex, Big Sean told how his mum helped him through depression. “The depression was more so before my first album. It was something that I never addressed. Even though things were going good, I just never was satisfied,” said the rapper.
“My mom would give me different books to read and lift my spirits up. She was the one who would always change my mindset and reset it to where it was supposed to be.”
6. Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling is completely open about her previous battles with depression.
"What's to be ashamed of? I went through a really rough time, and I am quite proud that I got out of that," she told a student journalist in 2008.
7. Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz said, “The hardest thing about depression is that it is addictive.”
“It begins to feel uncomfortable not to be depressed. You feel guilty for feeling happy.”
8. Cara Delevingne spoke at the 2015 Women In The World summit about her depression, saying, “I think I pushed myself so far [at school] that I got to the point where I had a mental breakdown…I was completely suicidal.”
However, over the years, Cara has found her own coping mechanisms. “It’s about finding people who care about you, and support you,” she explained. “And I’ve now been able to become a support for other people, as well.”
9. David Beckham has previously spoken about his obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
“I have to have everything in a straight line or everything has to be in pairs,” admitted the footballer. “I'll put my Pepsi cans in the fridge and if there's one too many then I'll put it in another cupboard somewhere.”
10. Kylie Jenner has confessed that internet trolls have caused her to develop anxiety.
"People are so quick to say horrible things about me everyday over and over and sometimes I can't take it… It's resulted in a lot of anxiety for me that I've never had to deal with before ever.”
11. Zayn Malik cancelled a performance at Capital’s Summertime Ball in 2016 due to “the worst anxiety of [his] career”.
The former One Direction member has since cancelled another gig in Dubai for the same reason. We hope Zayn is getting the help and support he needs!