In recent years, we’ve seen a shift in the stigma of mental health in emerging adults with conversations about depression, anxiety, substance use, and more moving from the private to the public sphere.

Mental-health issues have always been shrouded in stigma, despite data showing they affect about 18% of American adults. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), one of the most effective ways to fight mental health stigma is to hear one’s person’s lived experience. While this can certainly come from friends and family members, celebrities can instantly reach millions of people when they step forward  – thus effectively shrinking the stigma, comment by comment.

___________________________________

 

D E M I   L O V A T O 

“I think it’s important that people no longer look at mental illness as something taboo to talk about,” she said at the National Council for Behavioral Health in Washington DC. “It’s something that’s extremely common. One in five adults has a mental illness, so basically, everyone is essentially connected to this problem and this epidemic. The problem with mental illness is people don’t look at it as a physical illness. When you think about it, the brain is actually the most complex organ in your body. We need to treat it like a physical illness and take it seriously.”

 

L I Z Z O 

Though the rapper is known for her sunny disposition, she struggles with depression and has been extremely candid about it on social media. In fact, the “Truth Hurts” singer told PEOPLE, her depression got so bad that she considered leaving music.

“The day I released ‘Truth Hurts’ was probably one of the darkest days I’ve had ever in my career… Now the song that made me want to quit is the song that everyone’s falling in love with me for, which is such a testament to journeys: Your darkest day turns into your brightest triumph.”

 

J O N A T H O N    V A N    N E S S

The Queer Eye star opened up to the Trevor Project in October 2019 about his struggle with depression and anxiety and how he has learned to process both in a healthy way.

Van Ness believes having a support system or someone who can make you realize that you are not alone is extremely important to keep you from feeling shame. He explained, “When we’re able to share with someone who we do feel safe with, we can realize that these things that are happening to us don’t make us unloveable and aren’t anything to have as a huge secret and don’t make our future dark and dreary. Actually, we have a really gorgeous future, and we deserve love and safety.”

 

 J E N N Y   S L A T E

They say comedy is personal, but chances are you’ve never seen a stand-up special quite like Jenny Slate’s. In her new Netflix special Stage Fright, Jenny talks about her anxiety and the premise of the special’s title.

In a moment filmed backstage a few hours before her set begins, she explains how she gets terrible stage fright. “I don’t earn the love unless I give something beautiful that goes out,” she says. “My stage fright comes from a deeper thing, of exchange.” She admits to being worried about earning the love, and she’s worried that in the process of performing, she will not be able to enjoy the experience.

 

S E L E N A   G O M E Z

In October 2018, the singer announced that she would be taking a social media break and checked herself into a facility for help with her mental health. A year later, Gomez decided to share her experience when she was awarded the 2019 McLean Award for Mental Health Advocacy.

In her acceptance speech, she stated, “I think that we are better when we tell the truth, and so, this is my truth: Last year, I was suffering mentally and emotionally, and I wasn’t able to stay all that kept together.”

 

B I G   S E A N

The “Bounce Back” rapper spoke candidly about his struggles in March 2019 ahead of his 31st birthday. “Around this time last year, around my birthday, it was good for me, but it was wild for me too because I felt like something wasn’t all the way connecting with my energy. I wasn’t feeling like myself and I couldn’t figure out why,” Sean said in a series of Instagram posts at the time. “I stepped back from everything I was doing, from everything I had going on because somewhere in the middle of it, I just felt lost.”

 

 

K E N D A L L    J E N N E R 

“I have such debilitating anxiety because of everything going on that I literally wake up in the middle of the night with full-on panic attacks,” she told Cara Delevingne during a Harpers Bazaar interview in 2018. “Where do I even start? Everything is so horrible, it’s hard to name one thing. I just think that the world needs so much love. I wish I had the power to send Cupid around the planet, as cheesy as that sounds. You go online and you see everyone saying the worst things to each other, and it’s hard to stay positive. It’s hard not to get eaten alive by all the negativity.”

S O P H I E   T U R N E R

The Game of Thrones actress opened up about her mental health struggle in an interview with Rolling Stone in March 2019. “Depression for sure, anxiety, all of those things,” she explained of what she suffers from. “I still experience it, but I had therapy, I’m on medication, and I feel so much better. The fact that I spoke to someone changed my life.”

D A V I D   H A R B O U R

In a June 2018 interview on Marc Maron’s “WTF” podcast, the Stranger Things star revealed he was hospitalized in a “mental asylum” after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 25. He also discussed his own brand of self-care: “Generally, people are like, ‘I need to meditate more’ or ‘I need to get into yoga.’ And I need to, like, eat a cheeseburger and just, like, smoke cigarettes and hang out. So if I write the self-help book, it’s going to be like, ‘Sit on the couch and play some video games.’”

 G I N A   R O D R I G U E Z

The Jane the Virgin star opened up about her long battle with depression, and suicidal thoughts on June 17, which she revealed to NBC’s Kate Snow at The Kennedy Forum began when she was about 16. “I started dealing with the idea of … everything is going to be better when I’m gone. Life will be easier. All the woes will be away, all the problems. Then I wouldn’t have to fail or succeed, right? Then all this surmounting pressure would go away,” she said.

 

 

 

T A R A J I   P.   H E N S O N 

Taraji P. Henson’s father, Boris Lawrence Henson, suffered from depression and PTSD as a result of his tour of duty in the Vietnam War. In  2006, Mr. Henson passed away from cancer. In his honor, Taraji founded the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation in 2018 with the mission of changing perceptions on mental illness within the African American community. “I’ve experienced mental illness in my family… in the community and even in the workplace. When it comes to African-American people, we don’t deal with it. How are we going to help ourselves if we don’t allow ourselves to be vulnerable?”

T Y L E R   B A L T I E R R A

After revealing his bipolar diagnosis in April 2018, the Teen Mom OG star described his experience with the disorder in a July 2018 Snapchat. “Bipolar is like dancing on the edge of a cliff,” he wrote. “The good moods are full of endless euphoric adrenaline, but the bad moods cause a reclusive crash with an abusive rift when there are just too many emotions to go through & sift, which makes you trip down a long hard fall when you slip after you lose that grip once that adrenaline-filled dance inevitably makes you tip.”

 

C H R I S S Y   T E I G E N 

Teigen got very personal in the April 2017 issue of Glamour, penning an essay in which she opened up about struggling with postpartum depression and anxiety after Luna’s birth.

“Postpartum does not discriminate… I didn’t have an appetite. I would go two days without a bite of food, and you know how big of a deal food is for me. Most days were spent on the exact same spot on the couch, and rarely would I muster up the energy to make it upstairs for bed… I started keeping robes and comfy clothes in the pantry.”

 

S A R A H   H Y L A N D

The Modern Family actress revealed in December 2018 that she had suicidal thoughts after she underwent two kidney transplants amid her battle with kidney dysplasia.

“I would write letters in my head to loved ones of why I did it and my reasoning behind it, how it was nobody’s fault. I didn’t want to write it down on paper because I didn’t want anybody to find it. That’s how serious I was,” Hyland told Ellen DeGeneres in January 2019 about contemplating suicide. “I was very, very, very close.”

 

T R E V O R    N O A H 

In 2017, when chatting to DJ Fresh on Metro FM’s breakfast show, The Daily Show host spoke about struggling with depression in the early stages of his career. “I think we have a misconception of what it is. So when they say you suffer from depression, people think you’re saying you’re just sad all the time. You’re not sad. You know what depression is? Essentially, it will be a chemical thing in your brain where you perceive what is happening to you now to be happening to you forever.”

 

 

 

S H A N N O N    P U R S E R 

In May 2018, the Stranger Things and Riverdale actress opened up to Teen Vogue about her battle with OCD and what living with the condition is really like. “The compulsions are the things most people seem to think of when they think of OCD, but these compulsions are almost always the product of some kind of fear or unwanted thought (the obsession),” she wrote. OCD “totally warped” her self-image, she continued.

Therapy, she said, has been a game-changer. “I am better equipped to analyze [the obsessive thoughts] and respond in healthy ways,” she says.

H A L S E Y 

In an interview with Marie Claire earlier this year, she got really personal about her mental health, sharing her bipolar disorder diagnosis and the effect it has on her career. The singer, who was diagnosed with bipolar at age 17, shared that she was hospitalized after a suicide attempt but has learned to find balance. “I don’t manage my mental illness to keep up with my lifestyle; I manage my lifestyle to keep up with my mental illness,” she said.

 

 

 

R Y A N   T E D D E R

In a Facebook post in 2017, Tedder opened up about his band OneRepublic’s four-month hiatus, attributing the break to anxiety. “I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, not sleeping, on meds, not happy, anxiety on a crippling level, and it was triggered from sheer exhaustion,” wrote the OneRepublic frontman, detailing the band’s nearly nonstop schedule since they formed a decade ago. “I called my manager and said, ‘pull the plug.’

 

M I C H E L L E   W I L L I A M S

Former Destiny’s Child Michelle Williams has always been an advocate of mental health awareness, but last year, she got candid about taking her own advice.”For years I have dedicated myself to increasing awareness of mental health and empowering people to recognize when it’s time to seek help, support, and guidance from those that love and care for your well-being,” she wrote in a post on her Twitter and Instagram.

“I recently listened to the same advice I have given to thousands around the world and sought help from a great team of healthcare professionals.”
 

A R I A N A   G R A N D E

In an interview with Vogue U.K., the singer opened up about her battle with PTSD and anxiety following the bombing at a Manchester, U.K. concert venue while she was performing. “I think a lot of people have anxiety, especially right now. My anxiety has anxiety… ” Recently, when a fan jokingly asked on Twitter who Grande’s therapist was and if they were taking new patients, she tweeted back, writing:

“this is funny as fuck but in all honesty, therapy has saved my life so many times. If you’re afraid to ask for help, don’t be. u don’t have to be in constant pain & u can process trauma. I’ve got a lot of work to do but it’s a start to even be aware that it’s possible.”

 

K A R A M O   B R O W N 

The Queer Eye star told Instagram followers in August 2018 that he had attempted suicide 12 years prior. “You know, I was in a very dark place,” he said. “I just felt like life could not get any better, everything that was happening to me was never going to change, and I tried to take my own life … I want you all to know that as you see me on Queer Eye helping people with their mental health, it’s because it’s important to me … because I know so many of us suffer from mental health issues, and we just don’t know where to turn.”

 

E M M A    S T O N E

“When I was about 7, I was convinced the house was burning down. I could sense it,” she told Rolling Stone, opening up about growing up as a child with anxiety. “Not a hallucination, just a tightening in my chest, feeling I couldn’t breathe like the world was going to end. There were some flare-ups like that, but my anxiety was constant.” She added: “At a certain point, I couldn’t go to friends’ houses anymore – I could barely get out the door to school.” Along with the help from therapy, performing became a major way for Stone to overcome her anxiety. “I started acting at this youth theater, doing improv and sketch comedy,” she said. “You have to be present in improv, and that’s the antithesis of anxiety.”

 

N O A H   C Y R U S 

“It’s something very close to my heart. I’ve struggled with anxiety and depression since I was 10 or 11 years old. So, I think it’s a huge topic,” the “Make Me Cry” singer said on The Late Late Show with James Corden in October 2019. “One of the things that I’ve always wanted to use this platform [for] was to talk about my mental health and help young adults all around America and everywhere in the world know that they’re not alone.” She added that she wasn’t going to let her mental illness “take over my life like it has been for all of these years. I want to be able to talk about it, raise awareness and let kids all around the world know they’re not alone.”

 

J U S T I N   B I E B E R 

The “What Do You Mean?” singer opened up during a joint Vogue interview in February 2019 with his wife, Hailey Baldwin. Bieber revealed at the time that he “got really depressed on tour” in 2017 and was still working through his issues.

Later that month, a source told Us Weekly Bieber was “going to several doctors” for his personal struggles, clarifying that he was “not in rehab.” The insider added: “He sees a therapist, but he’s not in a special center or anything. He doesn’t want to be dependent on medication. He struggles with ups and downs, anxiety, depression, and uncertainty about the future.”

  

Z E N D A Y A 

Zendaya has been vocal in the past about her struggle with anxiety. Recently, she opened up about the “terrifying” feeling of “[putting] your shit out there,” in last month’s issue of Elle. The star confessed that “it’s so fucking weird” to reckon with the fact that a project she had been working on for eight months was finally coming “out for the world to see.”

“Even though Euphoria coming out was amazing and exciting, it was also extremely stressful. It gave me a lot of anxiety every week. That’s something I deal with; I have anxiety. I already know after this interview is over, I’m going to spiral about it for weeks.”

B R I T T A N Y   S N O W 

The Almost Family actress opened up to People in October 2007 about her struggles with anorexia, depression, and self-harm and admitted that the public’s reaction to her honesty was “awful.” So awful, in fact, that Snow developed severe anxiety and decided to take a break from the spotlight.

Then in October 2019, the star told InStyle that she’s glad the stigma around mental illness is changing. “So many people are so open with their stories, and it’s very, very cool and accepted that people are sharing their truth.”

 

 

P R I N C E   H A R R Y 

“I’ve spent most of my life saying ‘I’m fine,'” Prince Harry said in an interview with The Telegraph journalist Bryony Gordon on her mental health podcast. “I can safely say that losing my mum at the age of 12 and therefore shutting down all of my emotions for the last 20 years has had a quite serious effect on not only my personal life but also my work as well…I have probably been very close to a complete breakdown on numerous occasions.”

 

 

 

A D E L E

“I can slip in and out of [depression] quite easily,” Adele told Vanity Fair. “I had really bad postpartum depression after I had my son, and it frightened me,” she said. “I didn’t talk to anyone about it. I was very reluctant…Four of my friends felt the same way I did, and everyone was too embarrassed to talk about it.”

 

 

 

 

G I S E L E    B Ü N D C H E N 

The supermodel shared her struggle with panic attacks in her new book, Lessons: The Path to a Meaningful Life. She told People that, at one point, they had gotten so bad that she contemplated suicide. “I actually had the feeling of, ‘If I just jump off my balcony, this is going to end, and I never have to worry about this feeling of my world closing in,‘” she said.

 

 

D  W A Y N E    J O H N S O N

“I found that, with depression, one of the most important things you could realize is that you’re not alone,” he said in a YouTube video. “You’re not the first to go through it; you’re not going to be the last to go through it. And oftentimes – it happens – you just feel like you’re alone. You feel like it’s only you. You’re in your bubble. And I wish I had someone at that time who could just pull me aside and [say], ‘Hey, it’s gonna be OK. It’ll be OK.’ So, I wish I knew that.”

 

 

 

B E L L A   H A D I D

While stopping by to meet with a group of aspiring models for Lifetime’s series, Making a Model with Yolanda Hadid, Bella opened up about her experience with anxiety.

“Believe me, I get it, and I understand it,” she admitted when one of the contestants, Makenzie, revealed she struggles with social anxiety disorder. “I was totally there. My sister [Gigi Hadid] is very bubbly and very out there, and I was always very reserved. I would literally start crying and shaking if I had to do interviews at red carpet events. It was really nerve-racking, and it’s scary, and it’s not only you.”

 

K E S H A 

Kesha chose to speak out about her mental health after a tumultuous year when she accepted her Trailblazer Award at the 2016 Billboard Women in Music awards: ‘If I’m lucky enough to have a voice someone will listen to, then I should use it for good, for truth. That is why I have recently spoken openly about some of my struggles, including my crippling anxiety and beginning recovery for an eating disorder, amongst many other things. I know I’m not alone. These are struggles millions of people around the world deal with on a daily basis.’

 

K I D  C U D I 

In 2016, the rapper discussed his ongoing experiences with anxiety and depression in a Facebook post announcing that he had checked himself into treatment. “It’s been difficult for me to find the words to what I’m about to share with you because I feel ashamed. Ashamed to be a leader and hero to so many while admitting I’ve been living a lie,” he began. “Yesterday, I checked myself into rehab for depression and suicidal urges…My anxiety and depression have ruled my life for as long as I can remember…I guess I give so much of myself to others I forgot that I need to show myself some love too.”

 

L I L I   R E I N H A R T

“I had so much anxiety booking work, and I spent almost five months holed up in this bedroom in this house just feeling anxious, waiting for my next audition, and not doing anything else. It was the most miserable time of my life,” she told W Magazine. “I had had to quit a few jobs in North Carolina because of how anxious they made me. My anxiety was so bad that I had to keep quitting jobs because I physically could not work…”

 

K Y L I E   J E N N E R 

Kylie opened up about her mental health in an honest Instagram post earlier this summer. Kylie, who was just 10 years old when Keeping Up with the Kardashians debuted, wrote: “I’m proud of myself, my heart, and my strength. Growing up in the light with a million eyes on you just isn’t normal. I’ve lost friends along the way and I’ve lost myself too sometimes. My first tattoo was ‘sanity’ to remind myself every day to keep it. I’ve struggled with anxiety my whole young adult life and after my baby, I dealt with all the internal ups and downs. I felt like I had to find myself completely again.”

 

J A R E D   P A D A L E C K I

“I, for a long time, have been passionate about people dealing with mental illness and struggling with depression, or addiction, or having suicidal thoughts and, strangely enough, it’s almost like the life I live, as well,” he told Variety. “I was 25 years old. I had my own tv show. I had dogs that I loved and tons of friends, and I was getting adoration from fans, and I was happy with my work. But I couldn’t figure out what it was; it doesn’t make sense, is my point. It’s not just people who can’t find a job or can’t fit in society that struggle with depression sometimes.”

 

 

 

K R I S T E N   B E L L 

“There’s nothing weak about struggling with mental illness,” she wrote in an essay for Motto. “For me, depression is not sadness. It’s not having a bad day and needing a hug. It gave me a complete and utter sense of isolation and loneliness. Its debilitation was all-consuming, and it shut down my mental circuit board. I felt worthless, like I had nothing to offer like I was a failure. Now after seeking help, I can see that those thoughts, of course, couldn’t have been more wrong. It’s important for me to be candid about this so people in a similar situation can realize that they are not worthless and that they do have something to offer. We all do. “

 

A M A N D A   S E Y F R I E D 

“I’m on Lexapro, and I’ll never get off of it,” she told Allure. “I’ve been on it since I was 19, so 11 years. I’m on the lowest dose. I don’t see the point of getting off of it. Whether it’s placebo or not, I don’t want to risk it. And what are you fighting against? Just the stigma of using a tool? A mental illness is a thing that people cast in a different category [from other illnesses], but I don’t think it is. It should be taken as seriously as anything else. You don’t see the mental illness: It’s not a mass; it’s not a cyst. But it’s there. Why do you need to prove it? If you can treat it, you treat it.”

 

C H R I S   E V A N S

Even Captain America has bad days. The Marvel star has dealt with anxiety and depression on and off— largely tied to press events and other responsibilities that come with being a movie superhero.

In fact, Evans initially turned down the role of Captain America out of fear of failure. “I asked every human being in my life what they thought,” he said, “and they said I should do the movie, and then I went to therapy.”

 

 

B E Y O N C E 

“It was beginning to get fuzzy―I couldn’t even tell which day or which city I was at. I would sit there at ceremonies, and they would give me an award, and I was just thinking about the next performance,” she told The Sun in 2011. “My mother was very persistent, and she kept saying that I had to take care of my mental health.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

M I L E Y   C Y R U S

“[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 f** king feathers and my little outfits.”

 

 

 

 

 

J A M E S   F R A N C O

Immediately after overcoming addictions as a 17-year-old, Franco turned to acting, which he revealed became like an addiction. “I really threw myself into it, and that became everything, to the point where I didn’t even socialize,” he explained to OUT magazine. “And then, after, like 10 years of that, at age 27, I realized, ‘Man, I’m so depressed. On the surface, my life seems pretty good – I have a career and everything – but I feel isolated and lonely.”

 

 

C A R A   D E L E V I N G N E

“I was so ashamed of how I felt because I had such a privileged upbringing,” she said on This Morning. “I’m very lucky. But I had depression. I had moments where I didn’t want to carry on living. But then the guilt of feeling that way and not being able to tell anyone because I shouldn’t feel that way just left me feeling blame and guilt.”

 

 

 

E L L I E   G O U L D I N G 

“I started having panic attacks, and the scariest part was it could be triggered by anything. I used to cover my face with a pillow whenever I had to walk outside from the car to the studio,” she wrote in an essay for Well+Good. “My new life as a pop star certainly wasn’t as glamorous as all my friends from home thought. Secretly, I was really struggling physically and emotionally.”

 

 

 

 

P E T E   D A V I D S O N

“I found out I have BPD, which is borderline personality disorder,” the Saturday Night Live alum explained on the WTF With Marc Maron podcast, adding that he’s experienced mental breakdowns that would leave him in a blind rage. “One of my psychiatrists [diagnosed me]. He was always saying before this big meltdown, ‘You’re probably bipolar or borderline, we’re just going to have to figure it out.’ ”

Though he now has a diagnosis, Davidson is still figuring out how to handle the disorder, and added that he’s “depressed all the time.” He now goes to regular therapy sessions and is on a new medication. “It is working, slowly but surely.”

 

A L A N I S   M O R I S S E T T E

Two months after her son Winter’s August 2019 birth, the Grammy winner opened up about her third experience with postpartum depression. “PPD is still a sneaky monkey with a machete working its way through my psyche and body and days and thoughts and bloodwork levels,” Morissette wrote in a blog post. “[I’ve] been here before… The other side is greater than my PPD-riddled-temporarily-adjusted brain could have ever imagined: as a mom, as an artist, as a wife, as a friend, as a collaborator, as a leader, as a boss, as an activist. I saw how things got richer after I came through it the last two times. I have my eye on that prize again even as I drag my ass through the molasses.”

 

M A R I A H   C A R E Y

In April 2018, during an exclusive interview with People’s Editor-in-Chief Jess Cagle, the singer opened up for the first time about her struggle with bipolar disorder (diagnosed in 2001).

“Until recently, I lived in denial and isolation and in constant fear someone would expose me,” she explained. “It was too heavy a burden to carry, and I simply couldn’t do that anymore. I sought and received treatment, I put positive people around me, and I got back to doing what I love… I’m hopeful we can get to a place where the stigma is lifted from people going through anything alone.”

 

 

R Y A N   R E Y N O L D S 

“I tend to get pretty depressed, and I have some issues with anxiety and things like that. [I exercise every day] otherwise, I start to get a little bummed. For me, it is more psychological. Exercise is a means of expelling those demons.”

 

 

 

S A R A H   S I L V E R M A N

“People use ‘panic attack’ very casually out here in Los Angeles,” she told Glamour. “But I don’t think most of them really know what it is. Every breath is labored. You are dying. You are going to die. It’s terrifying. And then, when the attack is over, the depression is still there…I wouldn’t wish depression on anyone. But if you ever experience it, or are experiencing it right now, just know that on the other side, the little joys in life will be that much sweeter. The tough times, the days when you’re just a ball on the floor-they’ll pass. You’re playing the long game, and life is totally worth it.”

 

L A D Y   G A G A 

During an emotional visit with homeless LGBTQ teens in New York City, the pop star opened up about a struggle she’s kept secret her whole life. “I told the kids today, ‘I suffer from PTSD.’ I’ve never told anyone that before. So here we are,” Gaga told Today of the visit. “But the kindness that’s shown to me by doctors as well as my family, and my friends, it’s really saved my life.”

 

 

M I C H A E L   P H E L P S

Michael Phelps opened up about his experience with depression in the Talkspace Conference: Mental Health & Young Americans. “I have a chance to save a life, and that’s way bigger than ever winning any gold medals,” he said to the crowd.

Phelps recounted how he sought help in October 2014 after spending five days in his room, contemplating suicide. “I’m constantly learning, but I’m always constantly struggling,” he told Men’s Health after the conference. “I struggle more than people know. I just need to be prepared and handle it.”

 

B U S Y   P H I L L I P S  

The I Feel Pretty actress reflected on her social anxiety and the postpartum anxiety she suffered from after the birth of her first child. “I was barely holding it together,” she told People.  It was her friend Courteney Cox who convinced her to get help. “I didn’t want anyone else touching [my daughter]. I felt like I was the only one that could help or soothe her. That was a hard time,” she said. “Courteney was like, ‘I think you should talk to a doctor about medication.’” Taking Cox’s advice, Philipps shared that she went on antidepressants for a year and a half to help her navigate those difficult emotions.

 

K R I S T E N   S T E W A R T

“Between ages 15 and 20, it was really intense. I was constantly anxious. I was kind of a control freak. If I didn’t know how something was going to turn out, I would make myself ill or just be locked up or inhibited in a way that was really debilitating,” she said. “I’ve come out the other end not hardened but strong. I have an ability to persevere that I didn’t have before. It’s like when you fall on your face so hard, and the next time, you’re like, Yeah, so? I’ve fallen on my face before.”

 

 

 

P E T E   W E N T Z

In an interview with Playboy in 2008, the Fall Out Boy musician said his battle with depression had brought him close to death — on more than one occasion. “The list of drugs I’ve been prescribed would read like a grocery list,” he explained of his mental health struggles. Once, he noted, he “took a handful of Ativan,” though he insists he wasn’t thinking of killing himself. “I’ve never really called it a suicide attempt,” he said. “I just wanted my head to be completely turned off.”

 

 

 

H A L L E   B E R R Y 

Back in 2007, Berry revealed to Parade magazine that she tried to commit suicide after her first marriage failed. “I was sitting in my car, and I knew the gas was coming when I had an image of my mother finding me. She sacrificed so much for her children, and to end my life would be an incredibly selfish thing to do. It was all about a relationship. My sense of worth was so low.”

“I had to reprogram myself to see the good in me. Because someone didn’t love me didn’t mean I was unlovable.”

 

 

G W Y N E T H   P A L T R O W 

“I felt like a zombie. I couldn’t access my heart. I couldn’t access my emotions. I couldn’t connect,” she told Good Housekeeping. “I thought postpartum depression meant you were sobbing every single day and incapable of looking after a child,” she explains. “But there are different shades of it and depths of it, which is why I think it’s so important for women to talk about it. It was a trying time. I felt like a failure.”

 

 

W A Y N E   B R A D Y

Pointing to a culture that discourages men from speaking out about their feelings, Brady confessed that he hid his depression for years. Now, he’s finally fighting back against the stigma. “It’s difficult for men in general, I think, because of the way that we’re raised,” he said in a 2015 interview with People. “We feel any of the negative emotions or that dark cloud settle on you, and you feel like you need to cry or speak to someone about it, and, ‘Nope, I’m not gonna do that because I’m a man.’”

 

 

 

R I C K I   L A K E

Mental illness doesn’t only affect those who suffer from it. Lake’s ex-husband, jewelry designer Christian Evans, committed suicide at age 45 amid his battle with bipolar disorder, and now Lake is making it her mission to raise awareness about mental illness in hopes of helping others. “I never stopped loving that man,” she told People. “If only he could have believed in himself the way I believed in him.”

 

 

 

 

 

M A Y I M   B I A L I K 

“I think what I would have liked to tell my younger self about my mental health is that there are answers,” she said in her video. “For me, some of those answers I had to wait years to find, and I needed to get different help, which ended up being really the right kind of help. But I had this notion when I was younger that if something didn’t work once, or if a therapist didn’t work, or if a medication didn’t work, that nothing would ever work,” she added.

“I wish I could have told my younger self that something will work.”