Leading Celebrities With Mental Illness

celebrities

WHO estimates that one in four people will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives. Around 450 million suffer from such conditions which make mental illnesses one of the leading causes of ill health and disability worldwide.

Even people who seem to have everything that one desires in their life- money, fame, power experience depression and other related illnesses at some point in their lives. Here is a list of celebrities who have been vocal about their experience with mental health.

  1. Michael Phelps

The most decorated Olympian of all time with 28 medals was diagnosed with ADHD when he was in sixth grade and was prescribed medication. Michael learned to use the power of his mind to focus on school work with his doctor’s assistance and later was able to come off his medication.

  1. Jim Carrey

One of the best actors and comedians of this generation has suffered from depression for a significant portion of his life. At one point his depression became so exhausting that he was clueless about how he would overcome it. He sought help from a doctor and was prescribed antidepressant medication.

  1. Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie battled with depression in her 20s and again when her mother passed away in 2007. She agreed to star in the movie “Wanted” as a means of coping with depression. In 2008 she said, “ 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 into a dark place. I wasn’t capable of getting up in the morning so I signed up for something that could force me to be active”.

  1. Heath Ledger

Heath Ledger popular for his portrayal of Joker in the movie “The Dark Knight” died in 2008 due to an overdose of sleeping pills, painkillers, and anxiety drugs. In an interview given to The New York Times, he had said that playing joker in The Dark Knight had taken a toll on his ability to sleep.

The toxicology report after his death confirmed that “he died because of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, and alprazolam.

  1. Ellen Degeneres

Ellen spoke about her experiences of anger and depression after she publically announced her sexual orientation in 1997 which affected her career. She couldn’t switch on the TV without some comedian or TV host making fun of her.

  1. Britney Spears

Britney Spears famous for her international best-seller album “Baby One More Time” has suffered from psychological disorders for years. Dr. Diana Kirschner an expert on the subject studied her behavior and said: “People who show patterns of behavior as shown by Britney Spears are suffering from dual diagnosis. They have both substance abuse problems and a bipolar disorder or a manic disorder”.

  1. Shahrukh Khan

The second richest actor in the world slipped into depression after suffering a shoulder injury during a shoot in 2010.

  1. Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone spoke about her depressive phase in an interview with Barkha Dutt. She has also set up a center “Live Love Laugh Foundation” to help people going through the same phase.

  1. Randeep Hooda

Critically Acclaimed actor Randeep Hooda revealed about being depressed during the shooting of Highway and Sarabjit.

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