In honor of #HealthWeek, it is necessary to speak about the ongoing battle and advocacy against Mental health. Mental health ranges from thoughts of suicide to mild depression to anxiety. Several celebrities have come out about their own personal battles with mental health as well as voiced their desire to be continuous advocates for research, education, and support.
Emma Stone, known for her recent role in La La Land stated in Marie Claire, “I was a very, very, very anxious child and I had a lot of panic attacks,’ she revealed. ‘I benefitted in a big way from therapy. [And acting] helped me so much, improv helped me so much. I still have anxiety to this day, but not panic attacks.” For her, acting and theatre created a safe environment to feel secure in herself.
Ryan Reynolds recently spoke about his anxiety regarding filming his famous film, Deadpool: “I never, ever slept. Or I was sleeping at a perfect right angle – just sitting straight, constantly working at the same time.” The 16-hour days took a toll on the mental health of actors like Reynolds. Many celebrities have become more and more self-aware of the difficulties of their own lifestyles, as well as the relevance of mental health conditions.
Demi Lovato, a strong advocate and role model for improving mental health spoke at the National Council for Behavioral Health in Washington DC and said, “I just think mental illness is something people need to learn more about. I want people to know it’s okay to ask for help and it’s okay to have a mental illness.” After a very public battle with her own struggles, Demi remains a strong supporter of educating the masses: “I think it’s important that people no longer look at mental illness as something taboo to talk about. 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.”
Most recently in the news, Linkin Park’s frontman, Chester Bennington took his own life. This shocking news produced notable celebrities like Jay Z to continue to speak on mental illness. Bennington always spoke honestly and freely about his own struggles. He recently stated on a U.S. radio show, “The place between my ears, that’s a bad neighbourhood, I should not be in there alone.” He used this phrase to describe his state of mind. Chester’s sudden death emphasizes the severity of mental health and the role celebrities and everyone can play in the fight against it.
Other actors and models such as Cara Delevingne have turned to social media to verbalize personal battles. She tweeted: “I suffer from depression and was a model during a particularly rough patch of self hatred…I am focusing on filming and trying to learn not to pick apart my every flaw. I am really good at that.”
Riverdale’s, Lili Reinhart opened up about her own depression in light of Mental Health awareness month. Teen Vogue published her tweets which read, “And when I’m feeling depressed or sad, I remind myself how far I’ve come,” Lili added. “And how I didn’t let my depression consume me. To anyone out there who feels depressed or hopeless… do not f*cking give up on yourself. You’re all you’ve got. And you deserve the world. Your mental health should be your priority. Don’t forget that. This is your life.. and you’ve only got one. So don’t waste it by being sad.”
Remember, it is important to understand people’s internal struggles and the role each one of us can play in making every day better for ourselves and the people around us.
Quotes via Teen Vogue, Glamour Magazine, and Marie Claire
Photos via Texas State Historical Association, E! Online, Self
Gif via Tumblr