8 Celebrities Who Are Open About Their Mental Health

Bella Breakdown

Mental Health Month is here. For understandable reasons, many choose to stay silent regarding their mental health struggles, as it is a tough and touchy subject that most find too personal to share. To help encourage those struggling to do what’s right for them, here are 8 celebrities who have opened up about their own mental health struggles:

Kendall Jenner

On a Harper’s Bazaar interview with close friend Cara Delevigne, Kendall opened up about her anxiety and the impact it has had on her life.
“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,” Jenner said. “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.”

Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj is the epitome of a strong black woman, but she is also a human being with a dream. Working hard to reach that dream of becoming one of the best rappers alive can be exhausting. The rapper opened up about her struggles with suicidal thoughts. “I kept having doors slammed in my face,” Minaj said. “I felt like nothing was working. I had moved out on my own, and here I was thinking I’d have to go home. It was just one dead end after another. At one point, I was, like, ‘What would happen if I just didn’t wake up?’ That’s how I felt. Like maybe I should take my life?'”

Zayn Malik

The Singer, songwriter, and former One Direction member, Zayn Malik has opened up about his anxiety which has been described as “severe” at one time. On the fall of 2016, he shared his experience with his anxiety being the catalyst in the cancellation of one of his concerts for Time; “I wanted to tell the truth. Anxiety is nothing to be ashamed of; it affects millions of people every day. I know I have fans out there who have been through this kind of thing, too, and I wanted to be honest for their sake, if nothing else,” Malik wrote. “Rather than hiding away, sugar-coating it, I knew I had to put it all out there.”

Demi Lovato

From Disney to rehab, this former Disney starlet has come along way. She turned down continuing with her popular show, ” Sonny With A Cahance” to focus on her recovery. The singer has also been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Since then she has become an outspoken mental health advocate, she’s even set up free mental health counseling at her concerts. “So many of my fans are dealing with mental illness, whether it’s depression or bipolar disorder or even schizophrenia,” the singer told People. “I want to prevent [stigma] from being attached [to] anything mental health.”

Lady Gaga

Fame can be a burden. Lady Gaga was diagnosed with depression after the release of her 2013 album Artpop. She opened up about the toll her rise to fame took on her; “I don’t remember anything at all. It’s like I’m traumatized. I needed time to recalibrate my soul.”In an interview with The Mirror, she stated that she felt “exhausted — like I was dying.”

Ryan Reynolds

The Deadpool star, Ryan Reynolds has struggled with anxiety for most of his life. The actor shared during a Variety interview that he struggled with anxiety since he was a kid: “Our father was tough.” he continues ” He wasn’t easy on anyone. And he wasn’t easy on himself. I think the anxiety might have started there, trying to find ways to control others by trying to control myself,” he said. “At the time, I never recognized that. I was just a twitchy kid.” prior to shooting Deadpool the actor admits to having experienced some anxiety and insomnia he added in the Variety interview added that wife and actress Lively has helped him through anxious times, noting, “I’m lucky to have her around.”

Dwayne Johnson

Most wouldn’t think of “The Rock” when speaking of mental health disorders but the well-liked entertainer has been dealing with depression from a young age. The actor recalls the start of his depression after witnessing the suicide attempt of his mother at the age of 15. “She got out of the car on Interstate 65 in Nashville and walked into oncoming traffic,” he told Express. “I grabbed her and pulled her back on the gravel shoulder of the road.” Johnson is far from alone: Major depression affects an estimated 16.2 million American adults or about 6.7 percent of the U.S. population, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

Halle Berry

Halley Berry, talented actress open up to Paradein a 2007 interview about her depression. “I was sitting in my car, and I knew the gas was coming when I had an image of my mother finding me,” She told the magazine, the thought held her back from committing suicide. The detrimental state in her mental health was partly due to her brutal divorce with baseball player David Justice. “My sense of worth was so low. I promised myself I would never be a coward again.” It’s important to remember that struggling with suicidal thoughts or depression does not make you a coward — it makes you someone who could benefit from professional help.

If find yourself struggling with mental health, be sure to visit the National Institute of Mental Health for information and resources or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800) 273-8255 for immediate assistance.
Crisis Text Line is another free, confidential resource available 24/7: Text HOME to 741741 from anywhere in the U.S. and a trained counselor will text with you live about whatever you’re going through, referring you to further assistance if needed.