Depression is something that affects people from all walks of life. It doesn’t care what color you are, where you’re from, or how much money you have.The cause of depression is actually a considered to be a state of high arousal. Anyone suffering from depression release a higher concentration of stress hormones like cortisol and noradrenaline than people who don’t deal with depression. The exhaustion regularly seen in depressed people is an end result of too much arousal effecting your body and mind. Dealing with depression will leave you frequently feeling lonely and isolated. If you’re ever feeling alone in your struggles, it might bring you a bit of comfort to know you’re not the only one. Some of the most famous and successful people in the world deal with struggles of their own. Here are some of the famous people who continue to open up speaking about their own personal battles.
1. Ellen DeGeneres:
Ellen had suffered from a serious struggle with depression following her hit show on ABC getting canceled in 1998. The extremely lovable and exuberant host had felt like she had hit rock bottom after her show has ended. Everyone has their own struggles and battles, a lot of time the result of these ends in feeling depressed. Ellen has been openly shared her struggles and how she felt dealing with them.
Everything that I ever feared happened to me. I lost my show, I’ve been attacked like hell. I went from making a lot of money on a sitcom to making no money. When I walked out of the studio after five years of working so hard, knowing I had been treated so disrespectfully for no other reason than I was gay, I just went into this deep, deep depression.
2. Lady Gaga:
Gaga has been an advocate for speaking out about her dealings with depression.In a 2014 interview with Bazaar, Gaga shared her struggles in 2013, during this time she was performing at the VMA’s and one of the most famous successful people in the world. Depression still affected her nonetheless.
I became very depressed at the end of 2013. I was exhausted fighting people off. I couldn’t even feel my own heartbeat. I was angry, cynical, and had this deep sadness like an anchor dragging everywhere I go. I just didn’t feel like fighting anymore. I didn’t feel like standing up for myself one more time
Since then, Gaga has been outspoken as an advocate for mental health awareness. She is using her platform and success to spread awareness. Recently she linked up with Prince William via facetime to discuss mental health awareness.
3. Miley Cyrus:
The famous pop-star has been in the limelight for the better part of her life. As time has told that doesn’t always play out too well as child stars grow up. As Miley has graduated from Hannah Montanna to full-blown pop star to maybe losing her mind a bit. Throughout the entirety of her adult career, she has dealt with depression for a multitude of reasons. She touched on the subject during an interview with Elle. She shares that there is nothing wrong or embarrassing about asking for help, something that should be remembered in most situations.
Every person can benefit from talking to somebody. I’m the most anti-medication person, but some people need medicine, and there was a time where I needed some too. So many people look at [my depression] as me being ungrateful, but that is not it—I can’t help it. There’s not much that I’m closed off about, and the universe gave me all that so I could help people feel like they don’t have to be something they’re not or feel like they have to fake happy. There’s nothing worse than being fake happy.
4. Jim Carrey:
Carrey, the hysterically whacky comedian is one of the most recognizable comedians in the world. Jim Carrey revealed in a CBS interview that he strongly relied upon Prozac for quite some time. He needed relief from his depression and Prozac has helped him get through. He also undergoes different psychotherapies to tackle his depression. As of recently, he is completely off Prozac but does not consider himself depression free. In interviews he has specified that he constantly tells himself about the turmoil it had been and he now uses spirituality to make himself better. He also is reportedly completely drug and alcohol-free, he doesn’t even touch coffee. God bless ’em.
There are peaks, there are valleys. But they’re all kind of carved and smoothed out, and it feels like a low level of despair you live in. Where you’re not getting any answers, but you’re living OK. And you can smile at the office. You know? But it’s a low level of despair. You know?
5. Angelina Jolie:
After the loss of Angelina’s mother in 2007 she began dealing with growing feelings of depression. The U.N. Goodwill Global Ambassador battled with depression in her teens and early 20’s. When Jolie’s mother, actress Marcheline Bertrand, passed away in 2007, Jolie once again fell into a dark period. She decided to agree to star in the movie Wanted as a means of coping with the depression.
My mother had just passed away, and I wanted to do something physical to get it out of my head for a while,I felt I was going to a very dark place, and I wasn’t capable of getting up in the morning, so I signed up for something that would force me to be active.