Unfortunately, mental illness is an extremely common thing that affects so many people in different ways. For some, it can be debilitating, and for others, it can be a constant, incessant, underlying nuisance.
The silver lining is that we live in a time when people can, and are encouraged to speak out about their struggles, to help others going through something similar. These celebs have taken full advantage of that, and we love them for it.
Demi has always been relatively transparent about how in the past, she has struggled with an eating disorder, substance abuse, addiction, being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, anxiety, and depression.
"The problem with mental illness is people don't look at it as a physical illness. When you think about it, the brain is actually the most complex organ in your body. We need to treat it like a physical illness and take it seriously." she told People.
In 2006, after Destiny's Child broke up, Beyoncé opened up about how deeply it was affecting her.
"I didn't eat. I stayed in my room. I was in a really bad place in life, going through that lonely period: 'Who am I? Who are my friends?' My life changed."
"I openly admit to having battled depression and anxiety and I think a lot of people do. I think it's better when we all say: 'Cheers!' and 'fess up to it.'" Gaga said in an interview.
"I went through a time where I was really depressed. Like, I locked myself in my room and my dad had to break my door down. It was a lot to do with, like, I had really bad skin, and I felt really bullied because of that. But I never was depressed because of the way someone else made me feel, I just was depressed." Miley told Elle.
Selena has had a separate battle with lupus, which she believes is the cause of her anxiety and depression.
"I've discovered that anxiety, panic attacks and depression can be side effects of lupus, " she told People.
"Lord knows I've had stress and anxiety lately," Khloe said, opening up to her fans on her app.
"the gym has taken away so much of my stress...It has helped calm me down. When I'm fidgety and I just feel like everything is closing in, I go to the gym. You're building endorphins and feeling good about yourself. It's saved me."
In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, Kendall opened up about her battles with anxiety, saying "I have such debilitating anxiety because of everything going on that I literally wake up in the middle of the night with full-on panic attacks,"
After being diagnosed with postpartum depression, Chrissy spoke out about how she was handling it with Glamour, saying: "How can I feel this way when everything is so great? I've had a hard time coming to terms with that" adding, "I also just didn't think it could happen to me. I have a great life."
Kristen Bell opens up about how important it is to check in with yourself, and why there shouldn't be a taboo surrounding anti-depressants.
"I present that very cheery bubbly person, but I also do a lot of work, I do a lot of introspective work and I check in with myself when I need to exercise and I got on a prescription when I was really young to help with my anxiety and depression and I still take it today."
Lili Reinhart, star of Riverdale, opened up about her experience struggling with depression in a thread of tweets, saying: "Riverdale came into my life when I was going through the worst depression I had ever experienced. And in the end, it completely saved me."
"I can slip in and out of depression quite easily," Adele told Vanity Fair, adding, "I had really bad postpartum depression after I had my son, and it frightened me,"
Zayn explained how he feels about, and copes with anxiety in the form of a personal essay.
"My anxiety is so upsetting and difficult to explain. It's this thing that swells up and blocks out your rational thought processes."
Cara shared her traumatic experience with anxiety and depression in an interview with Vogue.
"All of a sudden I was hit with a massive wave of depression and anxiety and self-hatred, where the feelings were so painful that I would slam my head against a tree to try to knock myself out."
Ashley opened up to Health about what she does to combat anxiety.
"I try to take an hour nap," adding, "If I don't get sleep, I found that I get really bad anxiety.
Prince Harry candidly opened up about how he's been coping with depression for most of his life, after losing his mother.
"I can safely say that losing my mum at the age of 12 and therefore shutting down all of my emotions for the last 20 years has had a quite serious effect on not only my personal life but also my work as well...I have probably been very close to a complete breakdown on numerous occasions."
In a Refinery 29 video series called RIOT, Lena opened about how anxiety affects her.
"I've always been anxious, but I haven't been the kind of anxious that makes you run 10 miles a day and make a lot of calls on your Blackberry. I'm the kind of anxious that makes you like, 'I'm not going to be able to come out tonight, tomorrow night or maybe for the next 67 nights.'"
"People use 'panic attack' very casually out here in Los Angeles," Sarah told Glamour, adding: "But I don't think most of them really know what it is. Every breath is laboured. You are dying. You are going to die. It's terrifying. And then when the attack is over, the depression is still there."
Kristen revealed that between the ages of 15-20, is when she struggled the most with mental health issues.
"I was constantly anxious. I was kind of a control freak. If I didn't know how something was going to turn out, I would make myself ill, or just be locked up or inhibited in a way that was really debilitating."
Olivia suffers from a different mental illness, known as OCD.
"I don't bite my nails, but I rip out my eyelashes. It doesn't hurt, but it's really annoying. Every time I run out of the house, I have to stop and pick up a whole set of fake eyelashes." she told New York Daily News.
"I panic to the point where I don't know what I'm thinking or doing. I have a full anxiety attack….I have them all the time" Dakota said in an interview with AnOther.
Emma opened up to Wall Street Journal about her first experience with anxiety.
"The first time I had a panic attack I was sitting in my friend's house, and I thought the house was burning down. I called my mom and she brought me home, and for the next three years it just would not stop,"
Back in 2010, in an interview on Oprah, J.K Rowling discussed how depression and anxiety have been present in her life from a young age.
"I think I had tendencies toward depression from quite young. It became really acute when I was sort of twenty-five to twenty-eight was a dark time."
According to People, Anne struggled the most with anxiety and depression in her teen years, and when medication didn't work, she learned to work through it on her own.
In Brooke's book, Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression, she shares her journey, struggling with depression, and how she got help.
"Don't be ashamed and don't disregard what you are feeling. It is better to be proactive. Postpartum depression is extremely treatable, and there are many ways to cope with and get through it."
