Stars With Admitted Mental Health Struggles - Page 15

Despite winning and Emmy, garnering big laughs on Whose Line Is It Anyway, and a now classic sketch with Dave Chappelle, Wayne Brady recently revealed to suffering a debilitating bout with depression in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.

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Brady is one of many recent entertainers to both publicly talk about their mental health issues and use their celebrity status to advocate on behalf of mental health awareness. Further removing the stigma associated with psychological disorders, here are stars with admitted mental health struggles.

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She’s rarely addressed it directly, but in 2011, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones proactively sought treatment for bipolar II disorder. Zeta-Jones’ outpatient treatment was confirmed by her publicist in a written statement.

Joe Budden called his series of projects Mood Muzik for a reason. The New Jersey-bred rapper has been extremely candid in his music about depression, self-destructive behavior and turning to drugs to self medicate those issues.

Chris Brown’s 2009 savage beatdown of Rihanna, apparent temper tantrums, social media beefs, and public meltdowns are all probably linked with his bipolar disorder and previously undiagnosed post traumatic stress disorder. The PTSD was diagnosed during Brown’s court-mandated rehab stint, and the singer has publicly talked about seeing a therapist twice a week.

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During a 2004 interview with 60 Minutes, Jim Carrey chronicled his battle with depression and talked about being prescribed the anti-depressant Prozac.

DMX’s multiple personalities, repeated arrests and drug use can probably all be attributed in part to his battle with bipolar disorder. In a 2011 interview with ABC, DMX said, “I used to be really clear on who was what and what characteristics each personality had. But I don’t know at this point. I’m not even sure there is a difference.”

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Former NBA forward Metta World Peace (formerly Ron Artest) is so serious about mental health that he auctioned off the 2010 NBA championship ring he won as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers to raise money for children’s charities. He’s also worked with the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA.

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Despite the tenor of his upbeat hit songs, singer Billy Joel battled with both depression and alcoholism. Joel checked himself into the Betty Ford Center in 2005 after urging from his wife. In a 2013 interview with the New York Times, Joel said he was so shaken by the 9/11 attacks that he fell into a deep depression which caused him to drink again.

Between the ages of 12 and 13, legendary Houston rapper Scarface attempted suicide by slitting his wrists. In an excerpt from the book, Dirty South: OutKast, Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy, And The Southern Rappers Who Reinvented Hip-Hop, Scarface recalls being treated at Houston International Hospital with lithium and Thorazine.

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When weighing in on Charlie Sheen’s 2011 tiger blood-fueled meltdown, Roseanne Barr wrote an op-ed piece for New York magazine where she admitted to suffering from bipolar disorder in addition to several other mental illnesses.

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Despite an $80 million recording contract and a firm spot within the first family of Pop music, Janet Jackson told The Washington Post she dealt with severe depression after her 1990 Rhythm Nation Tour. She added that recording The Velvet Rope helped her deal with the issues her family didn’t want to or couldn’t discuss.

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As a struggling single mother, J.K. Rowling got so depressed that she contemplated suicide. Rowling credits cognitive behavioral therapy sessions with helping her deal with her depression, and the Harry Potter creator has been a very open mental health advocate.

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Iconic rapper Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of Run-DMC says he suffered from depression and contemplated suicide during the group’s peak and that he knew something was wrong. While headed back home in 1997, McDaniels said hearing Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel” helped turn things around. DMC admitted to listening to the song for a year straight.

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Actress Brooke Shields wrote an incredibly candid account of her struggles with postpartum depression for People magazine. Shields said she had thoughts of jumping from the window of her Manhattan apartment and swallowing a bottle of pills after the birth of her daughter Rowan.

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Her song “Nobody Not Really” hints at being emotionally down, and apparently art imitates life. In a 2007 interview with Giant magazine, Alicia Keys recalled being unable to shake feelings of sadness. “I started burying my feelings,” Keys said. “It got to a point where I couldn’t even tell my family or my friends.”

It looks like all fun and games (and songs), but Wayne Brady says things got real for him on his 42 nd birthday. In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, the Emmy-award winning Brady says he suffers from depression and had a complete breakdown in his bedroom in 2013.