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Tag: celebs & mental health

  • Lady Gaga & WHO Director Pen Essay For World Mental Health Day

    Lady Gaga & WHO Director Pen Essay For World Mental Health Day

    The duo call for additional treatment funding and the need for governments to better prioritize mental wellness in the essay.

    Mental health issues are universal—and costly without proper treatment—so why is mental illness still a taboo subject?

    That question is raised by Lady Gaga and Tedros Adhanom, director-general of the World Health Organization, in a new essay published in the Guardian on the eve of World Mental Health Day (Oct. 10): “800,000 people kill themselves every year. What can we do?”

    This annual statistic translates to “more than the population of Washington, D.C., Oslo or Cape Town,” they write. “Sometimes they are famous names such as Anthony Bourdain or Kate Spade that make headlines, but they are all sons or daughters, friends or colleagues, valued members of families and communities.”

    Globally, suicide is the second-leading cause of death among 15- to 29-year-olds, yet mental health receives less than 1% of global aid, they write.

    This lack of funding translates to a higher cost overall—mental health issues cost $2.5 trillion a year globally, which will keep rising if they continue to be excluded from the conversation.

    “Stigma, fear and lack of understanding compound the suffering of those affected and prevent the bold action that is so desperately needed and so long overdue,” they write.

    Gaga (born Stefani Germanotta) and Adhanom urge governments to invest in mental health services, saying it will not only help individuals but benefit state coffers as well.

    “Research shows there is a fourfold return on investment for every dollar spent on treating depression and anxiety, the most common mental health conditions, making spending on the issue a great investment for both political leaders and employers, in addition to generating savings in the health sector,” they write.”

    Individuals have a part to play too, by supporting one another and urging lawmakers to make mental health a priority. “We can all help to build communities that understand, respect and prioritize mental wellness,” they write.

    The essay cites local efforts that are moving the momentum in a positive direction, such as the ThriveNYC initiative in New York City.

    Germanotta—who previously revealed that she lives with PTSD—spearheads the Born This Way Foundation, established in 2012, with her mother Cynthia Germanotta. The foundation focuses on young people with the goal of creating a “kinder and braver world.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Emma Stone Talks Anxiety, Panic Attacks

    Emma Stone Talks Anxiety, Panic Attacks

    “You don’t have to be actor to overcome anxiety. You just have to find that thing within you that you are drawn to.”

    Emma Stone can vividly remember her first panic attack at age seven. 

    “I was sitting at a friend’s house and all of a sudden I was absolutely convinced that the house was on fire,” Stone recalled. “I was just sitting in her bedroom and obviously the house wasn’t on fire but there was nothing in me that didn’t think I was going to die.”

    On Monday, October 1, the actress sat down with Dr. Harold S. Koplewicz for a 30-minute conversation at the Child Mind Institute in New York City. She discussed her history of anxiety, beginning with the panic attack. Stone went on to describe how she would visit the nurse daily during second grade, where she would then call her mom. 

    “I had deep separation anxiety,” she told Koplewicz.

    Stone’s mother decided to take her to therapy and was informed her daughter had generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder, ABC News reports. However, she chose not to tell her daughter, which is something Stone says she has appreciated. 

    “I am very grateful I didn’t know that I had a disorder,” Stone said. “I wanted to be an actor and there weren’t a lot of actors who spoke about having panic attacks.”

    Stone described how in therapy, she came up with a book called, I Am Bigger Than My Anxiety. She says she drew photos inside of “a little green monster that sits on my shoulder.” In the book, the monster — her anxiety — would increase in size if she listened and decrease if she didn’t.

    A few years after her first panic attack, at age 11, Stone says she began acting in improv and realized “my feelings could be productive.”

    She says she also kept involved in the local children’s theater which was helpful in managing anxiety.

    “I believe the people who have anxiety and depression are very, very sensitive and very, very smart,” she said. “Because the world is hard and scary and there’s a lot that goes on and if you’re very attuned to it, it can be crippling. But if you don’t let it cripple you and use it for something productive, it’s like a superpower.”

    Today, Stone says, she manages her anxiety disorder through therapy, medication, the company of others and staying busy. She also avoids social media. 

    “That would send me into a spin,” she said. “I don’t need to be getting constant feedback on who I am.”

    For anyone battling anxiety, Stone says the key is finding somewhere else to shift your focus. 

    “You don’t have to be actor to overcome anxiety, you don’t have to be a writer to overcome it,” she told Koplewicz. “You just have to find that thing within you that you are drawn to.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Selena Gomez Gets Candid On Instagram: "Depression Was My Life"

    Selena Gomez Gets Candid On Instagram: "Depression Was My Life"

    “I think before I turned 26 there was like this weird time in my life [where] I think I was kind of on auto pilot for about five years.”

    In a recent Instagram post, pop starlet Selena Gomez announced she would be taking a break from social media. She also held a live stream to speak to her fans about what she’s been going through.

    “Update: taking a social media break. Again. As much as I am grateful for the voice that social media gives each of us, I am equally grateful to be able to step back and live my life present to the moment I have been given,” she wrote in the post. “Kindness and encouragement only for a bit! Just remember- negative comments can hurt anybody’s feelings. Obvi.”

    Gomez also hosted an Instagram live stream where she spoke with fans for the last time before her hiatus. Fans asked her questions in the chat about a wide variety of topics, including her mental health.

    “Depression was my life for five years straight,” she revealed to her fans. “I think before I turned 26 there was like this weird time in my life [where] I think I was kind of on auto pilot for about five years. Kinda just going through the motions and figuring out who I am and just doing the best I could and then slowly but surely doing that.”

    Having her every action put under the spotlight for public scrutiny led to an “annoying” pattern where she constantly dealt with a “fear of what people are going to say.”

    To a fan who asked how to forget someone, Gomez offered a little advice.

    “Well, you can’t really just like forget. You kinda have to figure out why you’re still holding onto them. Like why do you want to forget them? And that’s where you start,” she said, before adding “Sometimes forgetting can be a bad thing.”

    This level of candidness from Gomez to her fans is not unprecedented. She has always been vocal about her struggles with mental health and her battle with lupus, an autoimmune disease. In February, the singer went to rehab for a mental health tune-up.

    “She felt like she needed to get away and focus on herself with no distractions. She came back feeling very empowered. She wants to go again later this year. She feels and looks great. She’s still working on new music and is excited about it,” someone close to Gomez told People.

    Gomez is also taking a social media break this time not because things are bad, but because they are good.

    “I enjoy my life,” she said on Good Morning America. “I don’t really think about anything that causes me stress anymore, which is really nice.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Destiny’s Child Singer Michelle Williams Details Seeking Mental Health Treatment

    Destiny’s Child Singer Michelle Williams Details Seeking Mental Health Treatment

    Williams revealed that she had sought help on Instagram and pledged to “proudly, happily and healthily” lead by example as an advocate for mental health.

    After releasing a statement on social media about her own mental health journey and her pledge to help others in her situation, Williams received a massive show of support.

    Michelle Williams, former member of the popular girl group Destiny’s Child, released a statement on Instagram about her struggle with mental health last Tuesday after which she received a showing of support from fans, friends, family and famous peers.

    “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 wellbeing,” she posted on 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.”

    She also pledged to help others who may find themselves in the same situation as she did.

    “Today I proudly, happily and healthily stand here as someone who will continue to always lead by example as I tirelessly advocate for the betterment of those in need,” Williams wrote. “If you change your mind, you can change your life.”

    Her loved ones cheered her on in their responses in the comments section.

    “Michelle My Belle, I’m soo proud of you! You have given unselfishly of your time and support to so many and i know that you will be the best example of self-care which we all need. Keep being a warrior and an advocate for you. I love and support you with all my being,” wrote Tina Knowles-Lawson, mother to fellow Destiny’s Child alumni Beyoncé. “Sending you much love and encouragement… yes to your strength and bravery.”

    Lawson was not the only member of Beyoncé’s family to reach out. Solange Knowles was sure to add her own response.

    “Love u so Michelle! Really proud of you. Sending u all the love in the world,” Knowles wrote.

    Musical peer and collaborator Missy Elliott sent her well wishes, too.

    “Sending up Prayers for u,” commented Missy Elliott on the post. “You know we serve a Mighty God & just know that you are covered and your test will be a testimony… I’m inspired by your courage… May God give u a peace of mind/ Strength/& Happiness… we love u sis.”

    Williams admitted she struggled with depression in a 2017 interview, saying she had struggled with mental health since she was 13.

    “I’m in one of the top-selling female groups of all time, suffering with depression,” she revealed on The Talk. “When I disclosed it to our manager [Mathew Knowles] at the time, bless his heart, he was like, ‘You all just signed a multi-million dollar deal. You’re about to go on tour. What do you have to be depressed about?’”

    She relented on the words of her manager, but eventually found herself in a dark place, contemplating suicide. But in speaking publicly about her struggles, she hopes to “normalize” the discussion of mental health and reduce the stigma of seeking treatment for it.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Janet Jackson Opens Up About Depression Struggles

    Janet Jackson Opens Up About Depression Struggles

    The pop icon penned a personal essay about mental health and her quest to find happiness for Essence magazine.

    Janet Jackson is the latest celebrity to disclose her personal battles with depression, which she traced back to her childhood.

    A letter written by the iconic performer and youngest of the famous Jackson family is featured in the July/August issue of Essence magazine, in which she describes to readers her experience with depression and her quest to find happiness.

    “I struggled with depression. The struggle was intense… Low self-esteem might be rooted in childhood feelings of inferiority. It could relate to failing to meet impossibly high standards,” Jackson wrote. “And of course there are always the societal issues of racism and sexism. Put it all together and depression is a tenacious and scary condition. Thankfully, I found my way through it.”

    Her negative body image fed into her feelings of inferiority early in life. Jackson began performing at a young age, appearing in the variety show The Jacksons at age 10.

    “I wasn’t happy with the way I looked. For most of my life, that lack of happiness followed me. I wish someone had said, ‘You look fine. You look healthy. Being a little chubby is the least important thing in the world. Enjoy your childhood. Enjoy running and laughing and playing. Stop looking in the mirror and comparing yourself to others,’” she wrote.

    This feeling persisted through adulthood, and happiness was “elusive,” Jackson said. “In my forties: Like millions of women in the world, I still heard voices inside my head berating me, voices questioning my value,” she wrote. “A reunion with old friends might make me happy. A call from a colleague might make me happy. But because sometimes I saw my failed relationships as my fault, I easily fell into despair.”

    The “All for You” singer says she’s “no expert” when it comes to happiness. “I have only my life experience as a guide. I’ve known great happiness and great sadness. But I guess the key question is, what do I really know about happiness?”

    But the singer says she’s found peace in caring for her one-year-old son, Eissa.

    “The height of happiness is holding my baby son in my arms and hearing him coo, or when I look into his smiling eyes and watch him respond to my tenderness,” he wrote. “When I kiss him. When I sing him softly to sleep. During those sacred times, happiness is everywhere. Happiness in gratitude to God. Happiness is saying, ‘Thank you, God, for my life, my energy and my capacity to grow in love.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Seth Meyers: More Celebrities Should Speak Out About Depression

    Seth Meyers: More Celebrities Should Speak Out About Depression

    “We’d be better off if more successful people were honest and shared the fact that depression is something that chases you no matter what your status is.”

    Seth Meyers recently appeared on The Van Jones Show where he talked about the difficulties he faced when he debuted on Saturday Night Live and why he feels more celebrities should speak out about their mental health issues.

    When Meyers joined SNL, he said he struggled with impostor syndrome, a psychological phenomenon where an individual doubts their talent or skill and are struck with a fear that they may be exposed.

    “Ultimately it worked out for me by the time I got behind the [Weekend Update] desk,” Meyers says. “But in the beginning, the things that made Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader so great at that show were not skills that I had. It was hard because you get hired at SNL and you think, if they hired me, they know what they’re doing, I’m going to be great at this. Then you realize, maybe they’re having doubts as well that they screwed this up.”

    The SNL environment can be an especially frightening pressure cooker for comedians. Meyers’ former cast mate Bill Hader has also spoken out about the anxiety he felt when doing the show. Hader recently said in a Rolling Stone interview that during his SNL stint, stage fright gave him massive migraines that “were off the charts. I was so nervous all the time and I was smoking like a chimney… I’ve stopped smoking, and I don’t get them so often anymore.”

    Appearing on Van Jones in the wake of the high-profile suicides of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, Meyers also spoke out about depression, and why he feels more celebrities should come forward and be open about it.

    “I think one of the problems for people who are successful, is they think the last thing anyone wants to hear is them talk about is how they’re depressed,” Meyers says. “Because from the outside people are like, ‘What do you have to be depressed about? You have everything anyone could want.’ I think we’d be better off if more successful people were honest and shared the fact that depression is something that chases you no matter what your status is. It’s a very real thing, and the more you talk about it, the better off you’re going to be.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Lady Gaga Gives Passionate Speech About Mental Health

    Lady Gaga Gives Passionate Speech About Mental Health

    “I have struggled for a long time, both being public and not public about my mental health issues… But I truly believe that secrets keep you sick.”

    Lady Gaga joined her mother on stage at the 10th annual Children Mending Hearts Empathy Rocks fundraiser on Sunday (June 10), where she presented her mother Cynthia Germanotta with the Global Changemakers Award for her role as co-founder of the Born This Way Foundation.

    The mother-daughter team established the foundation in 2012, with the goal of empowering youth by providing “genuine opportunities, quality resources, and platforms to make their voices heard.”

    Before presenting her mother with the award, Gaga (born Stefani Germanotta) shared her personal stake in the foundation’s work, as well as the driving force behind it.

    “I have struggled for a long time, both being public and not public about my mental health issues or my mental illness. But I truly believe that secrets keep you sick,” she said.

    The eclectic singer emphasized the importance of kindness. “We [the foundation] bring people together to have real, honest conversations and to be kind. Kindness is not an afterthought to our work. It is the driving power for everything we do,” she said. “To me, almost every problem you can think of can be solved with kindness… Sometimes people think it is weak. It is tremendously powerful.

    “It can change the way that we view each other, the way that we view our communities and the way that we work. Even the way that we feel about ourselves, by being kinder to ourselves. We need more kindness in the world.”

    She thanked her mother for standing by her through it all, “Thank you, Mom, for not being afraid of my darkest thoughts and for doing what many don’t realize goes very far: just holding my hand and running an organization that helps hold the hands of others and join the hands of others. I love you. Suicidal ideation feels like a spell, and we have to have empathy. Be kind and help each other break the spell and live and thrive.”

    Last year, Gaga lent her voice to the Heads Together campaign, the initiative spearheaded by the British Royals—Prince William, Duchess Kate Middleton, and Prince Harry—to de-stigmatize mental illness and encourage people to seek help. The singer video-chatted with Prince William for a promotional video, discussing the importance of caring for one’s mental health and how talking about it can break down the stigma and shame of struggling with it.

    Gaga told William that it was gratifying to be able to open up to her fans without shame. “Even though it was hard, it was the best thing that could come out of my mental illness—to share it with other people and let our generation, as well as other generations, know that if you are feeling not well in your mind, you’re not alone. And people that you think would never have a problem, do.”

    View the original article at thefix.com