Umukunde Pierrine
Emotional illnesses are very common issues among people around the whole world, and while the idea of being famous might come with thoughts of financial stability, having a lot of friends and people around you, happiness and freedom, famous people are more prone to depression and bipolar disorder due to endless media and extreme public scrutiny and in fact, it is a common issue that many artists, musicians, CEO’s, actors, or any kind of entertainers are and have been diagnosed with depression.
Some celebrities have been brave enough to share with their fans and public in general their struggles and experience with mental health, while others struggle privately. Below is a list of some celebrities who have made it public that they struggle with mental health.
BEYONCE
In 2006, American artist and songwriter Beyoncé revealed that she had suffered from a severe period of depression and troubled love life. Beyoncé disclosed that she did not get out of her room, she did not eat and that she was in a really bad place in her life. Going through that lonely period she said she wondered “who she is, who are her friends” and admits that her life has changed.
The singer also revealed that during the same time was when she parted ways with her high school whom she had been dating since she was 12.
“It was beginning to get fuzzy – I couldn’t even tell which day or which city I was at.” She said before adding,
“I would sit there at ceremonies and they would give me an award and I was just thinking about my next performance.”
The singer old the sun in 2011. “My mother was very persistent and she kept saying that I had to take care of my mental health.” She added.
NICKI MINAJ
Rapper Nick Minaj talked about mental health during her 2022 VMAs video Vanguard award acceptance speech, and how it has claimed lives of several musicians and stars.
She said her biggest wish is for people to take mental health more seriously.
“I wish that people understood what they meant and what they were going through. I wish people took mental health seriously, even for the people who we think have perfect lives.” The rapper said.
“I wish Pop Smoke and Juice WRLD and Nipsey Hussle were here,” Nicki said in her emotional speech before wishing her Daddy, my cousin Richard and my business manager Angela to Rest in Peace, saying she never got to say rest in peace to publicly
Nick Minaj in 2011 opened up that she had suicidal thoughts in her first years of her career due to frustration.
IDRIS ELBA
British actor Idris Elba recently opened up that he has been going to therapy for a year now because of “Unhealthy habits” affecting his personal life. 51-year-old Elba sharing this on the ‘Changes with Annie MacManus’ podcast in October 2023, admitted that he has been thinking a lot about changing.
“In my therapy I’ve been thinking a lot about changing, It’s not because I don’t like myself or anything like that. It’s just that I have some unhealthy habits that have just really formed.” The ‘Beast’ actor said in the interview with ‘Changes with Annie MacManus‘ podcast.
“I work in an industry that I am rewarded for those unhealthy habits,” Elba added.
The actor admitted to being a workaholic” and explained how taking on new work projects has had a negative impact on his daily life.
“I’m a workaholic. I am an absolute workaholic,” he said. “And that’s not great for life. Nothing that’s too extreme is good. Everything needs balance.” He added.
Idris Elba is known in different movies like Beast, Obsessed, Daddy’s little girls, the harder they fall and many others.
KENDAL JENNER
American super model and reality TV star Kendal Jenner while talking to Delevingne in an interview, she said; “I have so much debilitating anxiety because of everything going on.”
“I literally wake up in the middle of the night with full-on panic attacks. Everything is so horrible, it is hard to say one thing” she added.
ADELE
Songstress Adele opened up about her depression struggles and said that the depression stemmed from postpartum stages of her life after giving birth to her son and it “frightened” her and that she was embarrassed to talk about it.
“I can slip in and out of depression quite easily. I had a really bad postpartum depression after I had my son, and it frightened me.” She said, adding that she didn’t talk to anyone about it and that her four friends felt the same way as well and were all embarrassed to talk about it as well.
RYAN REYNOLDS
“I never, ever slept. Or I was sleeping at a perfect angle” He said. “just working straight, constantly working all the time.” The actor added while talking to Variety, describing the anxiety he experiences especially while filming Deadpol.
MILEY CYRUS
The singer talked about her depression with ELLE, saying that it came from her physical insecurities and the fear of being bullied.
“Depression is more of an issue than people really want to talk about. Because people don’t know how to talk about being depressed—that it’s totally okay to feel sad.” The wrecking ball singer explained adding that she went through a time where she was really depressed.
The award winning singer said that her anxiety stemmed from her physical appearance especially her skin.
“It was a lot to do with, like, I had really bad skin, and I felt really bullied because of that. But I never was depressed because of the way someone else made me feel, I just was depressed,” she explained.
DAKOTA JOHNSON
‘Sometimes I panic to the point where I don’t know what I am thinking or doing. I have a full anxiety attack… I have them all the time” the actress said adding that it gets worse when she is auditioning.
DWAYNE JOHNSON
Talking in a YouTube video he said; “I found that, with depression, one of the most important things you could realize is that you are not alone.”
TARAJI P. HENSON
While addressing her mental health issues, the actress said that of all the materialistic things she had could make her feel better. “I wasn’t doing well. Nothing could make me happy: jobs, things, stuff. I developed a shopping habit and nothing was fulfilling.”
Henson added that she was tightly wound. Every little thing would set her off, and she didn’t like who she was becoming.”
Taraji, in 2018 lunched the ‘Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation’, a mental health advocacy support service named after her father who struggled with PTSD and bipolar dosorder to help those in nedd of mental health support aervices.
The actress in 2020, she told Entertainment Tonight about her suicidal ideation.
SELENA GOMEZ
In 2018, when Singer and songwriter Selena Gomez was in her twenties, she admitted to have started hearing voices that with time triggered psychosis.
She told rolling stone that for years, she thought about suicide but she never actually attempted it. She said: “I thought the world would be better if I wasn’t there.”
BILLIE EILISH
Singer Billie Eilish has been in the spotlight for most of her life having rose to fame at a young age and that called for a lot of public scrutiny, critics and having no private life.
Billie admitted to have experienced daily panic attacks for a while week due to her rigorous touring schedule.
She stated in one of her interviews that during that week, she cried for two hours every night because it was a terrible experience for her.
JUSTIN BIEBER
Justin Bieber has always spoken out about his mental health issues, admitting that there were times when, at his lowest ebb, he felt “really, really suicidal”.
Speaking to his fans on his YouTube documentary, Justin Bieber: Next Chapter, the singer revealed he experienced “consistent” pain when he was at the peak of his fame when he was a teenager
“There was times where I was really, really suicidal,” he revealed.
“Like, man, is this pain ever going to go away? It was so consistent, the pain was so consistent.
ARIANA GRANDE
Apart from her diagnosis of PTSD, the “Thank you, Next” singer has been outspoken about other mental health issues she has encountered.
She has revealed that she has battled Anxiety for several years.
Ariana also revealed she has been in therapy sessions for over a decade.
PETE DAVIDSON
The comedian had PTSD after losing his father, Scott Davidson at the age of seven and as an adult he has been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.
KANYE WEST
Kanye West has Bi-Polar disorder diagnosis and has addressed his condition on a 2018 album cover.
On the cover, the rapper included telling quote: “I hate being Bi-Polar it’s awesome “. In the song “Yikes,” he called bipolar disorder his superpower.
Makana Kennedy
