Don't Suffer In Silence
Struggling with your mental health can even the smallest tasks like getting up in the morning and brushing your teeth feel insurmountable. For a long time, people were pressured to keep quiet about their mental health struggles. However, in recent years, celebrities have been forthcoming about their battles with mental health as a way of encouraging others to speak up and get treatment.
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1. Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder first opened up about her struggles with mental health in the '90s, when society was much less willing to acknowledge said issues. Ryder's health issues took center stage in 2001, when she was convicted of shoplifting. Not only was Ryder clinically depressed at the time, but she had been prescribed painkillers by a "quack doctor" which clouded her judgment.
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2. Faye Dunaway
Faye Dunaway has long criticized for being "difficult" to work with by her fellow actors. In a 2024 documentary, the Oscar winner opened up about her experience with bipolar disorder. "It is [...] part of who I am," the actress revealed, "now I can understand and deal with [it] much more."
3. Kerry Washington
Scandal star Kerry Washington opened up about her struggles with disordered eating and thoughts of self-harm in her 2023 memoir Thicker Than Water. Since then, Washingon has spoken candidly about treating mental illness with the same compassion as physical illness. In her memoir she recalled having "a great deal of compassion" for her younger self while feeling sad that she felt she had to suffer alone.
4. Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande has been in therapy since childhood, when she needed help to process her parents' divorce. Following the 2017 Manchester Arena Attack and the death of ex-boyfriend Mac Miller, Grande began began to experience severe PTSD and anxiety. Several of her most albums deal with feelings of grief, anxiety, and depression.
5. Mariah Carey
The queen of Christmas was first diagnosed with bipolar II disorder following a breakdown in 2001. Mariah Carey was initially pressured to keep quiet about her diagnosis, leading to a life of "denial and isolation" in constant fear of exposure. Carey opened up about receiving therapy and medication for her disorder in 2018.
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6. Bruce Springsteen
In his 2016 autobiography, Bruce Springsteen opened up about his battle with depression, which he came to terms with in his 30s. Springsteen's father also struggled with mental health issues such as agoraphobia and hair-pulling disorder, which was never formally diagnosed or discussed. Springsteen cites the importance of therapy, medication, and a strong support system for helping him through tough times.
7. Michelle Williams
Destiny's Child singer Michelle Williams experienced depression since her teenage years, but had difficulty understanding her feelings until her 30s. When Williams first tried to confide in her manager about her feelings, she was asked what she had to be depressed about. In 2021, Williams published a memoir about her depression in hopes that it would encourage readers to seek treatment.
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8. Simone Biles
Simone Biles' 2020 decision to withdraw from the Olympics sent a shockwave through the world. In addition to feeling an enormous amount of pressure and anxiety, Biles was also experiencing "the twisties": a psychological condition that impacts a gymnast's ability to maintain bodily control while in the air. Not only can this condition impact performance, it can also put an athlete's physical safety at risk.
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9. Halle Berry
Halle Berry opened up about her experiences with mental health impacted her physical health in a 2023 interview. In the interview, she encouraged others to seek treatment with psychologists or psychiatrists. Berry has also been honest about making an attempt on her life following a divorce, after which she had to "reprogram" herself to see the good inside of her.
10. Leonardo DiCaprio
One name you may not see often in discussions about celebrity mental health is Leonardo DiCaprio. The teen-heartthrob-turned-Ocar-legend was diagnosed with OCD in childhood, and his compulsions occasionally led to delays in filming. DiCaprio first revealed his diagnosis in 2004, while portraying Howard Hughes who also battled OCD.
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11. Howie Mandel
Reality show personality Howie Mandel is something of a posterchild for sufferers of OCD. Mandel's OCD primarily manifests in mysophobia, or an intense fear of germs. To accommodate this condition, Mandel keeps his head shaved because it makes it feels cleaner, and refuses to shake hands unless he is wearing latex gloves.
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12. Fiona Apple
Singer-songwriter Fiona Apple is known for her confessional lyrics and unflinching approach to mental health. Throughout her career, Apple has been open about her struggles with depression, anxiety, OCD, disordered eating, and complex PTSD following a childhood assault. However, Apple discourages listeners from seeing her music as purely autobiographical, stating "it's a boring pain".
13. Adele
British songstress Adele is just one of thousands of woman who struggle with postpartum depression every year. Following the birth of her son, Adele felt "very inadequate", fearing that she'd made "the worst decision of [her] life." Though reluctant to talk about it, Adele eventually confided in some friends who'd gone through the same experience but were too embarrassed to talk about it.
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14. Naomi Osaka
Tennis champ Naomi Osaka first experienced depression following the 2018 US Open. Osaka has also been open about about experiencing social anxiety, particularly during press conferences, withdrawing from the French Open to avoid public speaking. Since then, Osaka has been in and out of therapy, and now feels very content with where she is mentally.
15. Carrie Fisher
After being diagnosed with bipolar disorder in her early 20s, Carrie Fisher became one of the loudest advocates for mental health. Fisher was diagnosed in 1980, and initially treated the disorder through binges of self-medication. Eventually, Fisher got sober, candidly discussed her experiences in memoirs, and received electroconvulsive therapy to "blow apart the cement" in her brain.
16. Amanda Seyfried
Following her breakout role in Mean Girls, Amanda Seyfried began to experience health anxiety and panic attacks. Seyfried quickly sought treatment and was eventually diagnosed with OCD, which she takes medication for. Seyfried has never been quiet about her condition, wanting "kids who are having weird thoughts to share them without stigma."
17. Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Dunst went public about receiving treatment for depression in 2008. When rumors circulated that Dunst was in rehab for substance issues, she set the record straight, stating that depression "should not be gossiped about." Dunst also stated that she was afraid to seek treatment because she was afraid.
18. Princess Diana
Princess Diana's 1995 interview with Martin Bashir was incendiary not only because she candidly discussed her husband's affair, but because she went public with her mental health. In the interview, Diana discussed her struggles with postnatal depression, self-harm, and bulimia, for which she received little support from the royal family. Mental health simply wasn't something that royalty struggled with, at least not publically.
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19. Kristen Bell
In 2016, Kristen Bell first opened up about her depression and anxiety, which she has experienced since her teenage years. Bell encourages her fans to be open about their struggles and not to be fooled "by this game of perfection that humans play." Bell has been open about how accomodations, such as wearing scuba gloves while swimming, have allowed her to experience life to the fullest.
20. Lady Gaga
Since her rise to stardom in the early 2000s, Lady Gaga has been a fierce advocate for mental health acceptance. Gaga has been open about her struggles with body dysmorphia, PTSD, and psychosis, citing meditation as helping her battle her demons. Gaga founded the Born This Way Foundation in 2012 which focuses on youth empowerment towards mental health.
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