Mental illnesses do not show age, race, gender, sexuality or fame, they can affect anyone, Thousands of people worldwide suffer from them and sadly many of those people do not seek the help which they need to start the road to recovery. Many people don’t speak out about their feelings and thoughts due to the fear of being rejected and discriminated. Luckily, many people are helping out, celebrities included in those who suffer and help those suffering. When celebrities speak about these issues, it can really encourage people to get the help which they need and deserve. Here are some celebrities who are helping and have helped many people by their bravery to speak out about mental illnesses and spread awareness about them.
Halsey
Halsey is the voice behind much-loved songs such as ‘Castle’ and ‘Colors’ and she suffers from bipolar disorder. She has talked about her mental illness publicly often and has really helped her fans by her spreading of awareness of the subject. In an interview with ELLE, she said: “The thing about having bipolar disorder, for me, is that I’m really empathetic.”
John Green
John Green has made multiple videos on his channel about his personal sufferings with anxiety, depression and OCD. In his videos where he addresses his mental health and mental health in general, he uses his fantastic way of words to really speak to people.
J.K Rowling
The creator of Harry Potter and world famous author J.K. Rowling has never really hidden the fact that she has suffered from depression. She has said how it’s nothing to be ashamed of, in an interview she once said: “I went through a really tough time, and I am quite proud that I got out of that”. The fabulous author has also helped spread hope for many going through rough times through her words, including the quote Dumbledore once said: “Happiness can be found even in the darkest times if one only remembers to turn in the light.”
Tom Fletcher
Singer in the band McFly, YouTuber and children’s author Tom Fletcher has spoken about his bipolar disorder in a program made with Fearne Cotton. In the section which got us all emotional, the pair talked about how he started to notice patterns in his emotions and moods. After a while, Tom decided to get some help. This lead to him getting medicines to help him and since then he has been getting back on track. He even said how after a couple weeks with help and the correct medicines everyone started to note how much happier he had become, even being told that it’s the happiest people have seen him in over four years.
Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato has been open with her involvement with an eating disorder and bipolar disorder. She has been a burden of hope for people with mental illnesses as she has been very honest about the difficulties she had whilst on recovery. In the MTV Documentary, “Demi Lovato: Stay Strong” she said “I cannot tell you that I haven’t thrown up since treatment – I cannot tell you that I have not cut myself since treatment,” With words like these, Demi is a huge inspiration for thousands of people around the world.
All in all, many celebrities have been a massive help in ending the stigmas surrounding mental illnesses and helping to spread the much-needed awareness about them. What do you think about these celebrities? Tweet us @CelebMix on Twitter!