Celebrities With Depression

Dwayne Johnson

He’s one of Hollywood’s highest paid actors, but “The Rock” recently opened up about depression to the Express, a British newspaper. “Struggle and pain is real,” said Johnson, who saved his mother from a suicide attempt when he was 15.  “Depression never discriminates,” he tweeted later. “Took me a long time to realize it but the key is to not be afraid to open up. Especially us dudes have a tendency to keep it in. You’re not alone.”

Katy Perry

The pop star shared her struggles with depression during a 96-hour livestream on YouTube. In an emotional session with Siri Sat Nam Singh, host of the Viceland channel’s The Therapist, Perry said she opened up because she wanted her fans to see her true self. "If people can see that I'm just like them, they can dream just as big."

Jon Hamm

Just like his character Don Draper on Mad Men, Hamm has battled some heavy stuff. He’s been open about his bouts with depression and says it was particularly rough after his father died when he was in college. In an interview with InStyle magazine, Hamm spoke about the benefits of therapy. “We live in a world where to admit anything negative about yourself is seen as a weakness, when it’s actually a strength. It’s not a weak move to say, ‘I need help.’ ”

 

Lady Gaga

The pop star, whose hits include "Paparazzi” and “Poker Face,” says she’s dealt with both depression and anxiety her whole life. Gaga isn't ashamed to admit she takes medication for depression. In an interview with Billboard magazine, she said she thinks it’s important for people to talk about their mental health. “If we share our stories and stick together, we’re stronger.”

Michael Phelps

The swimmer who’s won 28 Olympic medals said his first “depression spell” happened in 2004, but his lowest point came after the 2012 Games, according to CNN. Phelps said he sat alone in his bedroom for 3 to 5 days “not wanting to be alive,” and he knew he needed help. After he sought treatment and started talking about his feelings, he said “life became easy.” Now he understands that “it’s OK to not be OK.”

 

Kristen Bell

The actress, known for voicing the character of Anna in the movie Frozen, says she’s had depression since she was in college. In an essay for the website Motto, Bell says, "There’s nothing weak about struggling with mental illness." She says she went public to try to shed more light on the disorder and ease the stigma around it. 

Historical Figures

Even our 16th president had bouts of what he called melancholy. “If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on the earth,” Abraham Lincoln wrote a law partner in 1841. “Whether I shall ever be better, I cannot tell.” He relied heavily on friends, family, and a trusted doctor to see him through his darkest times. Other historical figures who reportedly wrestled with depression include Ernest Hemingway, Winston Churchill, psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, and General William T. Sherman.

Honey Singh 

Missed his peppy numbers and energy for a while? Honey Singh opened up a few weeks back to share his account of suffering from bipolar disorder. At that time, he was fighting extreme emotions to an extent that he had no control over it. He shared with his fans his way of building courage which helped him face anything that came his way or on the way of his loved ones.

Deepika Padukone

She has commanded her life to success today after having to battle a long period of depression. She spoke to her fans about her mental health and personally shared her daily struggles of having to live with it. In fact, she took a step ahead to establish a centre for mental health so as to help those who are facing the trauma she once had to face herself.

Here's what she had to say, "I thought it was stress, so I tried to distract myself by focusing on work, and surrounding myself with people, which helped for a while. But the nagging feeling didn't go away. My breath was shallow, I suffered from lack of concentration and I broke down often."

Anushka Sharma

Believe it or not, Anushka Sharma suffers from anxiety and was brave enough to speak about it.

"I have anxiety. And I'm treating my anxiety. I'm on medication for my anxiety. Why am I saying this? Because it's a completely normal thing. It's a biological problem. In my family, there have been cases of depression. More and more people, should talk openly about it. There is nothing shameful about it or something to hide. If you had a constant stomach pain, wouldn't you go to the doctor? It's that simple. I want to make this my mission, to take any shame out of this, to educate people about this."

 

Shah Rukh Khan

Shah Rukh suffered from depression, post his shoulder surgery in 2010. Here's what he said, after his long battle.

"Due to the shoulder injury, and the suffering, I had got into a depression mode, but now I am out of it. I feel happy and boosted with energy."