STARS OPEN UP ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESS
IT’S A misconception that mental illness is merely the act of an attention-seeker, especially when it’s a celebrity or public figure who speaks out.
It’s common for celebrities to fake, overreact or pretend that they are depressed or suffering from mental illness.
This year there were a growing number of famous faces who have stopped pretending that everything’s okay and acknowledged their struggles by speaking out about their mental health issues.
One in six South Africans suffer from anxiety, depression or substance-use problems, according to statistics released by the SA Depression and Anxiety Group.
Mental health problems can strike at any time and don’t discriminate between race or class.
Here are a few celebrities who have spoken about depression, anxiety and other mental health illnesses.
TV personality Bonnie Mbuli, in her tell-all book Eyebags and Dimples, says that she has been suffering from clinical depression.
Since then the local star has never shied away from being vocal about mental health.
In response to the increasing rate of suicide among young people, and mental health awareness in general, Mbuli has been using Instagram’s latest feature, IGTV, to talk about depression in a series titled #letstalkaboutit. Her message is to let people know that they are not alone and that there is life and hope after depression.
Local comedian and host of The
Daily Show, Trevor Noah, revealed last year that he had been struggling with depression.
Speaking to DJ Fresh on the Metro FM morning show, Noah elaborated on the misconceptions surrounding depression. “When they say you suffer from depression, people think you’re saying you’re just sad all the time. You’re not sad. You know what depression is? Essentially, it is a chemical thing in your brain where you perceive what is happening to you now to be happening to you forever. So if you’re having a bad day now or you’re having a bad moment, in your mind you go, ‘it’s forever’.”
“Funnily enough, one of the best things that helps depression is work,” he said, “and socialising with other people and connecting.”
Kendall Jenner has chosen to shine the light on anxiety.
“I have such debilitating anxiety because of everything going on that I wake up in the middle of the night with full-on panic attacks,” she revealed.
“Where do I even start? Everything is so horrible, it’s hard to name one thing. I just think that the world needs so much love. You go online and you see everyone saying the worst things to each other. It’s hard not to get eaten alive by all the negativity.”