15 Celebrities Who Confessed to Being Mentally Ill to Cheer Up Others

Talking about your problems is hard, but sometimes it can be useful - for other people. One in five Americans suffer from some kind of mental illness, but it's not customary to talk about it. But these celebrities were not afraid to publicly admit that they have mental health problems.

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Source: boredpanda.com

1. Ellen DeGeneres, depression

“Everything I ever feared happened to me. I lost my show. I was heavily criticized. I stopped making a lot of money. When I left the studio, where I actively worked for five years, realizing that I had been treated disrespectfully just because I was a lesbian, I plunged into a deep depression.

2 Hayden Panettiere Postpartum Depression

“Many people think that this is not serious, but it is not. This is an absolutely out of control thing, it is painful and scary, and women need support.”

3. Leonardo DiCaprio, obsessive-compulsive disorder

Leonardo suffered from this disorder as a child, and it resurfaced during the filming of The Aviator. “The make-up artist and assistant suffered a lot because they could not seat me - I walked back and forth, touched the door and so on. It drove me crazy. It lasted a couple of months after filming."

4. JK Rowling, depression

“I have never been ashamed of being depressed. What is there to be ashamed of? It was very difficult for me, and I am proud that I managed to get out of it.

5. Jared Padalecki, depression

“I felt like I was hit with a bag of bricks. I was 25 years old, I had my own show, dogs and a lot of friends. I was adored by the fans and I loved my work. I didn't understand what was happening. It’s not just those who can’t find a job and settle down in life that face depression.”

6. Elton John, bulimia

“Once I realized that I needed help, I knew that I would get better, I was set for it. It was a relief."

7. Demi Lovato, bipolar disorder

“I remember I sat with my manager and family and we discussed whether I should speak publicly about my problems. I had two options: to pretend that everything was fine and I did not receive treatment, or to tell people and cheer someone up. That's exactly what I did."

8. Brad Pitt, depression

“I had depression — in the last decade. But it affects the formation of a person. I take it as the greatest science, like a semester: this semester I studied depression, every night was the same, I could not sleep, I always wanted to go home to hide from everyone.

9 Carrie Fisher Bipolar Disorder

“Sometimes you don’t want to be yourself anymore. But you don't have a choice. I talked to people on the phone for eight hours. When you're in the manic stage, the path is clear. I am unable to communicate. My speech doesn't make sense. I can't sleep and I can't be relied upon."

10. Jim Carrey, depression

“I have been on Prozac for a long time. He helped me, but I know people get hooked on him. I stopped when I realized that everything was in order.

11. Adam Levine, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

“When I was diagnosed, I was not surprised, because in high school I had trouble concentrating. Now I'm an adult, and people notice my condition. When I can't focus, I just can't focus."

12. Angelina Jolie, depression

“I felt that I was falling into darkness, I could not get up in the morning. So I decided to do something that would force me to be active.”

13. Jon Hamm, depression

“Do you want to be honest? Antidepressants help. Brain chemistry changes so much that you say to yourself: “I want to get up in the morning, I don’t want to sleep until four in the afternoon, I want to get up and do business. Start the engine!"

14. Gwyneth Paltrow, postpartum depression

“It was terrible, not at all like when Apple was born. It seemed to me that this meant that I was a terrible mother and a bad person.

15. David Beckham, obsessive-compulsive disorder

“I go to the hotel room. I can't relax until I've put all the pamphlets and books in my desk drawer. Everything has to look perfect."