6. Amanda Peet:
The beautiful actress who is best known for small roles on T.V. and her roles in “The Whole Nine Yards,” “Saving Silverman,” and “Something’s Gotta Give.” After giving birth in 2007 to her son Frankie, Peet has since spoken up about postpartum depression. In an Interview with Gotham Magazine Peet shared some of her feelings following the birth of her son. The 36-year-old actress says that the feelings of euphoria she enjoyed while pregnant:
…all came crashing down the second [Frankie] was born; “expecting to feel fulfilled,” Amanda says she instead felt “sleep-deprived beyond belief” and ambivalent about motherhood. She adds, “I want to be honest about it because I think there’s still so much shame when you have mixed feelings about being a mom instead of feeling this sort of ‘bliss.’ I think a lot of people still really struggle with that, but it’s hard to find other people who are willing to talk about it.
7. Halle Berry:
The timeless beauty and successful actor has opened up about contemplating suicide after her first marriage fell apart. Berry admitted to trying to gas herself in her car after the marriage had failed.
I was sitting in my car, and I knew the gas was coming when I had an image of my mother finding me.
First of all, nobody should ever feel that way. Luckily, she realized how wrong her actions were. Thinking about her loved ones and how they would feel losing her was enough to change Berry’s drastic decision. Depression can affect anyone! In fact, I bet it touches more people than you realize. Luckily. Halle remembered there’s always someone there that loves you.
She sacrificed so much for her children, and to end my life would be an incredibly selfish thing to do. It was all about a relationship. My sense of worth was so low.
8. Jon Hamm:
The Mad Men star lost his father when he was 20. This lead to struggling with depression at an early age. Luckily, a great support group of friends and loved ones helped Hamm with his struggles. The actor is also an advocate for antidepressants and different types of therapy. In an interview with the UK Observer Hamm spoke about how he coped with depression.
I did do therapy and antidepressants for a brief period, which helped me. Which is what therapy does: it gives you another perspective when you are so lost in your own spiral, your own bullshit. It helps. And honestly? Antidepressants help! If you can change your brain chemistry enough to think: ‘I want to get up in the morning; I don’t want to sleep until four in the afternoon. I want to get up and go do my shit and go to work and…’ Reset the auto-meter, kick-start the engine!
9. Winona Ryder:
Ryder has spoken up about her battles with depression since the 90’s. At the height of her Hollywood fame, she was brave enough to speak about her struggles with depression and anxiety. She began to shine a light on a subject that now, 20 years later is just beginning to get the attention it deserves.
I’m so sick of people shaming women for being sensitive or vulnerable. It’s so bizarre to me.
After a few years away from acting, Ryder signed onto Netflix’s hit “Stranger Things” which returns Friday! Where you at Demogorgon?! Got a bit carried away, shout out my girl Barb. After all these years she doesn’t regret speaking up about depression and we couldn’t be happier she did.
I don’t regret opening up about what I went through [with depression], because, it sounds really cliché, but I have had women come up to me and say, ‘It meant so much to me.’ It means so much when you realize that someone was having a really hard time and feeling shame and was trying to hide this whole thing.
10. Brooke Shields.
Another Hollywood famous beauty who in 2005, spoke out against the fact that Tom Cruise dismissed her postpartum depression. Shields released a statement opening up about her personal battle with postpartum depression.
I feel compelled to speak not just for myself but also for the hundreds of thousands of women who have suffered from postpartum depression. While Mr. Cruise says that Mr. Lauer and I do not “understand the history of psychiatry,” I’m going to take a wild guess and say that Mr. Cruise has never suffered from postpartum depression.
Postpartum depression is caused by the hormonal shifts that occur after childbirth. During pregnancy, a woman’s level of estrogen and progesterone greatly increases; then, in the first 24 hours after childbirth, the amount of these hormones rapidly drops to normal, nonpregnant levels. This change in hormone levels can lead to reactions that range from restlessness and irritability to feelings of sadness and hopelessness.
11. Carrie Fisher:
Sadly, Fisher recently passed away. Many regard Carrie Fisher as a pioneer of mental health awareness. The fiery actress was outspoken with her own tribulations with bipolar disorder. Fisher was not shy about sharing her own personal issues. She shined a light on a subject many people felt uncomfortable with and that is not an easy task. Up until her death, Fisher remained an outspoken advocate for mental health awareness.
I have a chemical imbalance that, in its most extreme state, will lead me to a mental hospital,.I am mentally ill. I can say that. I am not ashamed of that. I survived that, I’m still surviving it, but bring it on.
When Fisher’s disorder was at an extreme state she would turn to electroconvulsive therapy or ECT. ECT has a poor reputation due to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Many believe this to be a damaging procedure. Fisher believes it’s one of the most effective treatments for severe mania or depression that has not responded to medication. Fisher’s openness is one step toward about mental health awareness was a gigantic step in the right direction.
12. Gwyneth Paltrow:
Paltrow is another successful celebrity who struggled with postpartum depression. After the birth of her daughter, Apple in 2004 Paltrow explains the time as blissful. Therefore, she had nothing to worry about right? Wrong. 2 years later after the birth of her son Moses Paltrow experienced many different feelings.
I felt like a zombie. I couldn’t access my heart. I couldn’t access my emotions. I couldn’t connect, it was terrible, it was the exact opposite of what had happened when Apple was born. With her, I was on cloud nine. I couldn’t believe it wasn’t the same. I just thought it meant I was a terrible mother and a terrible person.
Paltrow didn’t want to accept her feelings. It was her husband Cold Play frontman, Chris Martin who sensed something was not right. Paltrow shared how she had to confront her feelings in an interview with People.
About four months into it, Chris came to me and said, ‘Something’s wrong. Something’s wrong,’ ” Paltrow recalls. “I kept saying, ‘No, no, I’m fine.’ But Chris identified it, and that sort of burst the bubble.
13. Kirsten Dunst:
Dunst has been an advocate about how rehab has helped her deal with her depression. She blames the ridiculous pressure of being a Hollywood actress among other things for her struggles. She went through a stint in rehab after her diagnosis in 2008. She felt the pressures of living up to everyone’s expectations of a famous star. Dunst made her acting debut in 1983 in “New York Stories.” That is a long time to be constantly criticized by the public. She also gives credit to B12 shots for helping her feel better.
When I got the part, my friend Lizzy [Caplan], who is on Masters of Sex, said, “Be sure to get B12 shots to get you through the week.” I was like, “Really? That sounds very dramatic, Lizzy. By the third week, I was all over the B12. It was one of the best roles I’ve ever played – the writing is spectacular – but by the end, I was tapped out.
14. Russel Brand:
Best known for portraying the character Aldous Snow in “Get Him To The Greek.” The actor/comedian has been vocal about depression and his state of mental health. Brand seems like he spiraled into a dark place after he broke up with Katy Perry. Brand himself, has found his own way of channeling his depression into his art. Everyone needs to find a way to deal with their depression and Brand is an example of that.
I’ve never had a sustained period of medication for mental illness when I’ve not been on other drugs as well. It’s just not something that I particularly feel I need. I know that I have dramatically changing moods, and I know sometimes I feel really depressed, but I think that’s just life. I don’t think of it as, “Ah, this is mental illness,” more as, “Today, life makes me feel very sad.” I know I also get unnaturally high levels of energy and quickness of thought, but I’m able to utilize that.
15. Nicki Minaj:
Nicki Minaj comes off as a confident energetic woman and performer. According to what she shared with Cosmopolitan magazine, this hasn’t always been the case. Earlier in Nicki’s career when she was searching for an opportunity she saw some dark days. She has even spoken up about her feelings of contemplating suicide. She is not a bad example of things will get better. Take things one day at a time things aren’t always bad no matter how much you may believe so.
I kept having doors slammed in my face. 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 just take my life?
Suicide is never ever the answer. This is just a short list of people dealing with their own demons battling depression. Everyone has their own ways of dealing with it. This list just goes to show a few very successful people and their bravery to speak up about their mental health and help spread awareness. This list goes to show that no matter what you’re going through in life there are healthy ways to deal with it and you’re not alone in your battle with depression.