How Celebrities are Raising Awareness about Mental Health through Social Media
By: Courtney McSheehy
Allow me to set the scene, you’ve been working on an assignment which you have been trying to get done for the past week. The time has now come for you to get in front of the class and speak about you’re findings. You starting shaking, you can barely speak, you feel as though it is noticeable you are having a hard time and you suddenly find it hard to breathe, the shaking intensifies, you rush through your presentation and immediately leave and when you finally do you grasp your chest and fall to the ground crying. Then the next day your body is sore from the shaking and anything you eat you throw back up. Many people call this nerves getting to the best of you, but when really it is depression not allowing you to do work not procrastination, it is not nerves because you are shaking, it is social anxiety and overall anxiety, it is not just being scared when you can not breathe, its a panic attack caused from all your anxiety. Now the question is do you feel alone when this happens? Do you turn to social media to find help? If you do turn to social media you are not alone celebrities who you might not think go through this do just like you. You are never alone, people out there in the world are going through this more than one realizes.
What is Mental Health?
Mental Health can be described as multiple things, but the true definition of mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental Health impacts our daily lives more than we ourselves know it.
Symptoms of Mental Health
The following are symptoms and warning signs of mental health: eating/sleeping too much or too little, feeling like you are pulling yourself away, having little to no energy, feeling numb, unexplained headaches or pain, smoking/drinking or using drugs too much, feeling helpless or hopeless, feeling uneasy/on edge/ worried, severe mood swings, having persistent thoughts or memories you cannot escape, thinking/doing self harm to yourself, and not having the ability to preform daily tasks.
Celebrities are Just Like Us
Dwayne '“the Rock” Johnson spoke out about his depression and that the most important thing to realize is that you are never alone, when battling with depression. Sometimes all you need is somebody there to help give you a little push to tell you that “its going to be okay.” Men get the stereotype of having to be strong and powerful but when really 30.6% of men have experienced some type of anxiety and or depression in their lifetime.
Ian Thorpe a 5x Olympic Gold medalist who felt lonely even though he was surrounded by people. He goes on to explain how it feels like a weight pushing you down, somedays you are unable to get out of bed, some days you cannot face the world, and you try to tell yourself these tasks are easy; however even though the most easiest tasks become the most difficult task.
Dan Carcillo a 2x Stanley Cup Champion, watched not only his friend but teammate die from suicide. As a result of his friend passing a dark cycle came through his life, he tried to keep his eyes open but slowly he fell into a deep dark depression cycle trying to find his happiness that seemed almost impossible to locate.
Adele, an incredible singer spoke out about her postpartum depression after having her son. She speaks out about how she can slip in and out of depression. Some of her 4 closest’s friends felt the same exact way but were too afraid to speak out about what they were going through. Not only did Adele experienced postpartum but Chrissy Teigen experienced the same thing. Chrissy spoke out about how she had all the help in the world but she felt selfish and how it was hard to admit out loud athat she was struggling and sometimes she still does.
Miley Cyrus, a actress and singer battled with depression. she talks about how depression is more of an issue than what people realize and want to admit about. Miley had a hard time knowing how to talk to somebody about being depressed and to not know that being sad is ok. Miley’s depression got so severe she locked herself in her bedroom and her father physically had to break down her door. Not one person made her depressed, she thought her depression came from how she looked. Cyrus also believes that talking to somebody and expressing how you feel is a big help, however some people are so depressed, that the only answer to help them is medication which is completely fine. She also talks about how people associate being depressed with being ungrateful, but when you have to fake being happy for the people around you that is one of the worst feelings.
Kate Spade a well known designer whom died of suicide on June 5, 2018. Spade suffered from manic depression and anxiety, not only did people lose a mother, a wife, a fashion icon, and a friend. The hard truth that came out about her is that mental illness is not something to ignore, no matter how “good” one has it this is a major challenge in today’s society. She often times self medicated with alcohol, her sister noticed she was suffering and tried to get her to seek help; unfortunately it was too late she could not get overcome her barriers and they defeated her.
How Speaking Out Helps
With these celebrities coming out to talk about what they have been through and how they have coped with their mental illness they are facing, they want to help abolish the stigma of just because nothing is wrong with you psychically does not mean you are not suffering on the inside. The brain is one of the most powerful organs in the human body, it helps you feel all the emotions that are linked with metal health, but when really you need to treat mental health like a psychical illness because it is just more than just what you are feeling it is how you are acting. Mental Health is not something that should be taken lightly it needs to be taken more seriously. Everyone in the world is now speaking out about how it is ok to be anxious or sad, you will prevail and sometimes it helps to look at the past, even though it is beyond painful, the outcome one gets is being able to accept yourself for who you are. Being able to speak out about mental health shows people who just never truly experience a true panic attack and anxiety, not to just casually say that is what they are experiencing.
Never Feel Like You Are Alone
When life seems to be dragging you to feel like you are nothing, one thing to keep in mind is how you are never alone, somebody out there in the world is going through what you are. Take a chance and reach out to somebody to talk about how you feel, whether that is a family member, friend or trusted adult. Speaking out is one of the toughest things to to do but once you get past this step you are able to continue on with the others. Once you talk, seek help from a guidance counselor, psychologist, or any type of doctor. Start to find things that help your mind from racing, whether that might be hanging out with friends or family, seeing a dog, listening to loud music while screaming your lungs off, or just sitting outside with a breeze on your skin. Never feel as though you are alone, reach out it might seem hard but once you are finally able to speak out about what you are going through you will never feel alone.
1-800-272-8255 Suicide Hotline
1-800-662-4357 Mental Health Hotline
1-800-366-8288 Self Harm Hotline
1-800-662-4357 Substance Help Hotline