There is a lot of stigma in society about depression and anxiety. Most people either do not understand it or know very little about these conditions. There is an urgent need to raise more awareness and start a dialogue about mental health. Fortunately, many celebrities and social icons have been raising their voice and sharing their own experiences to help people who are silently suffering from anxiety and depression. Here are 9 such remarkable women who have spoken publicly about their mental health issues.
1. Gloria Steinem
Whether it’s anger or frustration, don’t turn your emotions inwards and make it the cause of your depression. Take the effort to talk about your issues and express your emotions instead of suppressing them.
“I myself cried when I got angry, then became unable to explain why I was angry in the first place. Later I would discover this was endemic among female human beings. Anger is supposed to be ‘unfeminine’ so we suppress it — until it overflows. I could see that not speaking up made my mother feel worse. This was my first hint of the truism that depression is anger turned inward; thus women are twice as likely to be depressed.” —My Life on the Road, October 2015
2. Brooke Shields
Mental health is still not taken seriously enough in modern society. Even your friends and family may not be aware of the many causes and symptoms. If you think you’re not feeling yourself, do not hesitate to get professional help. Depression is difficult to deal with and it’s hard for others to empathize. So it’s up to you to get the help you need.
“If you think you might be suffering from any kind of postpartum mood disorder, or are aware of some preexisting condition in your life that could lead to it, DO NOT WASTE TIME! Get help right away … 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. It is important to get educated and talk about how you are feeling. It rarely passes alone or without causing damage … And remember: postpartum depression is beyond your control.” —Down Came the Rain, May 2005
3. Kate Moss
Succeeding in your career can be a daunting task. With so much to deal with on a daily basis, both on professional and personal fronts, it’s easy to neglect yourself until it’s too late. If you think your life is getting way too hectic, take a short break to take stock, unwind, and rejuvenate.
“I had a nervous breakdown when I was 17 or 18, when I had to go and work with Marky Mark and Herb Ritts. It didn’t feel like me at all. I felt really bad about straddling this buff guy. I didn’t like it. I couldn’t get out of bed for two weeks. I thought I was going to die. I went to the doctor, and he said, ‘I’ll give you some Valium,’ and Francesca Sorrenti, thank God, said, ‘You’re not taking that.’ It was just anxiety. Nobody takes care of you mentally. There’s a massive pressure to do what you have to do. I was really little, and I was going to work with Steven Meisel. It was just really weird — a stretch limo coming to pick you up from work. I didn’t like it. But it was work, and I had to do it.” —Vanity Fair, October 2012
4. Cara Delevingne
Though people might think that depression is a result of a tragic event, the fact is depression can hit you at any time. It does not matter how successful or wealthy you are. And sometimes, it can be difficult to figure out why you’re feeling so depressed when everything in your life is going so well. So do not blame yourself for feeling depressed. It can happen to anyone at any time.
“This is something I haven’t been open about, but it’s a huge part of who I am. 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. I never cut, but I’d scratch myself to the point of bleeding. I just wanted to dematerialize and have someone sweep me away … I thought that if I wanted to act, I’d need to finish school, but I got so I couldn’t wake up in the morning. The worst thing was that I knew I was a lucky girl, and the fact that you would rather be dead … you just feel so guilty for those feelings, and it’s this vicious circle. Like, how dare I feel that way? So you just attack yourself some more.” —Vogue, July 2015
5. Kristen Stewart
Having an anxiety disorder can make it difficult to deal with even regular everyday situations. Things that others might find easy, like attending a party or a wedding, may seem like a nightmare. But it’s important to overcome anxiety to achieve your goals. It’s a tough journey but if you believe in yourself and are willing to bravely accept the consequences, nothing can stand in your way.
“Between ages 15 and 20, it was really intense. 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 … At one point, you just let go and give yourself to your life. I have finally managed that and I get so much more out of life. I’ve lived hard for such a young person, and I’ve done that to myself — but I’ve come out the other end not hardened but strong. I have an ability to persevere that I didn’t have before. It’s like when you fall on your face so hard and the next time, you’re like, Yeah, so? I’ve fallen on my face before.” —Marie Claire, August 2015
6. Lena Dunham
If you suffer from anxiety, not many people will understand what you’re going through. People might just think you’re an introvert or have poor social skills. While some people with anxiety can hide it from the world, you might just want to avoid the world altogether. Do not be concerned about what people around you think. Instead, always do what’s best for you.
“I feel like there’s this glamour, when you look at like a Tennessee Williams play, where the woman who has a psychological illness is in a fur, laid out on a chaise. Whereas in reality, a woman with mental illness or a woman struggling with her psychological well-being is often in sweats and in a T-shirt that used to belong to her dad and is covered in food bits. … I’ve always been anxious, but I haven’t been the kind of anxious that makes you run ten miles a day and make a lot of calls on your Blackberry. I’m the kind of anxious that makes you be like, ‘I’m not going to be able to come out tonight, tomorrow night or maybe for the next 67 nights.” —Refinery29’s RIOT series, May 2016
7. Elizabeth Gilbert
In many cases, depression is not the consequence of one big event in your life. It creeps in slowly without you being aware of it. And as it takes hold of you, you’re not really sure if it’s just you going through a bad patch or something more serious. A mental illness like depression is hard to accept and even after you realize that you’re depressed, you may feel more helpless than ever. Don’t let depression take your life away from you. Ask for help and always believe in yourself.
“When you’re lost in those woods, it sometimes takes you a while to realize that you are lost. For the longest time, you can convince yourself that you’ve just wandered off the path, that you’ll find your way back to the trailhead any moment now. Then night falls again and again, and you still have no idea where you are, and it’s time to admit that you have bewildered yourself so far off the path that you don’t even know from which direction the sun rises anymore. … I took on my depression like it was the fight of my life, which, of course, it was. … I tried so hard to fight the endless sobbing. I remember asking myself one night, while I was curled up in the same old corner of my same old couch in tears yet again over the same old repetition of sorrowful thoughts, ‘Is there anything about this scene you can change, Liz?’ And all I could think to do was stand up, while still sobbing, and try to balance on one foot in the middle of the living room. Just to prove that — while I couldn’t stop the tears or change my dismal interior dialogue — I was not yet totally out of control: at least I could cry hysterically while balanced on one foot.” —Eat, Pray, Love, February 2006
8. J.K. Rowling
Depression and sadness are two separate things. Just like anger or joy, sadness is an emotion and there’s usually a reason for feeling sad. However, depression is a mental condition that can take you through a range of negative emotions. Sometimes, it can also feel like being in a void. Do not isolate yourself when you’re depressed. Find a reason to get your life back and do everything you can to get better.
“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. It’s that absence of feeling — and it’s even the absence of hope that you can feel better. And it’s so difficult to describe to someone who’s never been there because it’s not sadness. Sadness is — I know sadness — sadness is not a bad thing. You know? To cry and to feel. But it’s that cold absence of feeling — that really hollowed-out feeling. That’s what the Dementors are. And it was because of my daughter that I went and got help.” —The Oprah Winfrey Show, October 2010
9. Anna Wintour
It’s not easy to talk about mental health in a society that is prejudiced against psychological conditions. This makes it much harder for people to seek help for a condition that can be severely damaging. But do not let this stop you from talking to a friend or a family member about what you’re going through. They may not be able to fully understand but can offer you the support and courage you need to get professional help.
“I think mental health is an area where people are embarrassed … They don’t want to talk about it because somehow they feel they’re a failure as a parent or, you know, they’re embarrassed for their child or they want to protect their child, lots of very good reasons, but mental health I feel is something that you have to talk about. That time from 15 to 16 to your mid- to late 20s — you look grown-up, people think you’re grown-up, but you’re still a kid.” —New York Magazine, May 2015
