Dark hole of depression
Celebrities seem to have it all. Yet, there’s often a dark hole in that charmed life that nothing is able to fill — neither money, fame, travel or loving family and friends. And this can drive them to absolute hopelessness, and suicide
Celebrity chef and television show host Anthony Bourdain seemed to lead the charmed life of a super successful and famous urban nomad — travelling from one country to another, one enriching experience to another. But the world just lost him to suicide, at age 61. Just a few days back famous designer Kate Spade committed suicide, sparking discussions on celebrity suicides and the need to raise suicide prevention awareness. What’s that place of hollowness that nothing is able to fill — money, fame, travel or even loving family, friends and relationships? What drives those who seem to have it all in life to that darkest, fatal point of absolute hopelessness?
“Celebrities, like any human being, are susceptible to a wide spectrum of emotions — both good and bad. The famous are used to being known and this makes them extremely stress and anxiety- filled. Also, when you are up on a pedestal, you tend to get very lonely, and loneliness has its downfalls. Getting a lot of attention can make one self- obsessed or preoccupied with oneself. A feeling of emptiness and loneliness when is not able to relate to anything or anyone can lead one to a black hole — a sense of nothingness — and eventually suicide,” shares Dr Mamta Shah, a psychologist.
Dr Akshay Kumar, a psychologist, feels it is unfair to make sweeping statements and general deductions about individual cases as there may have been numerous reasons or circumstances, subjective and personal, that may have pushed each individual to take such a drastic, final step. But a general psychological theory of why celebrities are more prone to such steps is known as Hedonism theory. “According to the theory, certain people who are rich, famous and live in a world with access to extra pleasure, get involved in something called hedonism behaviour, which has a philosophy of ‘ live life to the most, as life is short’. These people indulge in extremely pleasurable activities including drugs, alcohol, sex, parties and so on. However, after a certain period, these things stop giving the kick which then makes them feel a void in their life. And no matter what they do they are unable to feel happy anymore as their mind becomes resistant to pleasurable activities,” shares Kumar, who believes that once a person stops feeling happy, no matter what they do, they enter into a mode of resignation which leads to depression, eventually pushing the individual to taking such an extreme step.
Chef Sanjeev Kapoor feels the whole concept of ‘ celebrity’ is faulty in many ways, and needs to be changed. “A celebrity is somebody who is celebrated. In a way, we make the person larger than their work. It can even make the person believe that they are greater than the work they have created. We need to make a difference between the celebrated work and the celebrity. Of course, the person has made an effort but it’s the work that’s talking. For example, Einstein is called a scientist, an innovator, not a celebrity. But if he was in today’s world, even he would be a celebrity.”
He adds, “Extraordinary work requires extraordinary effort and it causes stress. It’s important to remain unchanged as a person, and not let expectations and the trappings of stardom create a different you. Unnecessary attention and change in personality can lead to a lot of issues. It’s very important to remain normal. So don’t create a world that’s not real, even if you are doing cutting- edge work. No amount of fame, money or travel changes the real person inside you. It doesn’t change your family, friends, relationships. It doesn’t make you unreal. Changing for the environment around you is not healthy. It’s very important to strike that balance.”