Talking about your mental health can be a daunting task, but in recent years celebrities have used their platforms to discuss their own mental health struggles and have helped destigmatize what millions of people go through every day.
Their honesty has helped their fans recognize their own mental health struggles and accept that life is tough, whether through the everyday stress of life or through diagnosed mental disorders.
In honor of World Mental Health Day (Oct. 10), here are five celebrities who have shared their personal mental health journeys.
Kid Cudi
In a 2013 interview with Complex, Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, revealed that he was prescribed anti-depressants by a therapist following a bad breakup that caused an “emotional breakdown.”
The rapper said that the WZRD song “Dr.Pill” (Cudi and producer Dot da Genius make up the alternative rock band), which features lyrics including “When I look in the mirror I don’t know who this dude is/Staring right back at me/Doctor pill, doctor pill give me something/I’m feeling ill now/What can you prescribe for me?” was about prescription medication.
Cudi revealed in a Facebook post in 2016 that he was checking himself into “rehab for depression and suicidal urges,” and that he was not at peace.
Mariah Carey
Songbird Mariah Carey revealed in April that she battles with bipolar disorder. The star told PEOPLE she sought treatment after “the hardest couple of years” that she’s “been through,” and that she didn’t want to believe she was bipolar after she was diagnosed in 2001 after suffering a physical and mental breakdown.
“Until recently I lived in denial and isolation and in constant fear someone would expose me,” she says. “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—writing songs and making music.”
The music legend said that she’s in therapy and takes medication to treat the disorder.
Kanye West
Kanye West has made headlines the last few months for saying slavery was a choice and his support of President Donald Trump.
The rapper revealed on his 2018 album Ye that he suffers from bipolar disorder. That’s my bipolar sh*t, n**ga, what? /That’s my superpower, nigga, ain’t no disability/I’m a superhero! I’m a superhero!,” he rapped on the song “Yikes.”
In an interview with radio host Big Boy in June, West said he was diagnosed when he was 39 years old.
He told Jimmy Kimmel in August that it’s “especially” important to talk about mental health issues in the Black community.
“We never had therapists in the black community. We never approached taking a medication,” he said.
Michelle Williams
Singer Michelle Williams checked herself into a mental health facility in July to treat her depression.
The Destiny’s Child star has opened up about her years-long battle with the disease, telling The Talk in 2017 that her mental health issues started when she was a teenager.
“So many people are walking around acting like they’ve got it all together and they’re suffering,” she said. “For years, I was in one of the top-selling female groups of all time, suffering with depression.”
Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is one of Hollywood’s highest-paid stars, but even he has struggled with depression, he revealed this year.
“I reached a point where I didn’t want to do a thing or go anywhere. I was crying constantly,” he told the UK’s Express in April.
The wrestler-turned-actor said that when he was a teenager, his mother attempted suicide and that the ordeal left him “devastated and depressed” but that they were both able to heal from the situation.
“We both healed, but we’ve always got to do our best to pay attention when other people are in pain,” he said. “We have to help them through it and remind them they are not alone.”
