Stars Who've Spoken Out About Their Struggles with Mental Health

Andy Grammer

The Art of Joy artist reflected on discovering the importance of therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic as he appeared on an October 2022 episode of the PEOPLE Every Day podcast with host Janine Rubenstein, ahead of World Mental Health Day.

"I went down hard. I don't know how your pandemic was. Mine was not good. In hindsight, it became something that I'm grateful for, but I think for a lot of us, it just really showed us where we get our self-worth from," he explained. "So if you got all your self-worth from others or from work or not from yourself, the place that it should be coming from, then the pandemic was really, really tough for you. And by you, I mean me. Wow. A hundred percent me."

He continued, "So, it just got to a place where I had to make it a priority in my life to make sure that everything up inside my head was working out well and that I had some self-love and some self-knowledge, and therapy helped me a lot with that. So I've been trying to speak up as much as possible, that you don't have to get to a place that's really terrible to just make it a priority in your life."

02 of 33

Elizabeth Olsen

In a 2022 interview with Variety, the WandaVision star opened up about her mental health struggles, which she only experienced when she was living in New York at age 21. The actress explains that prior to turning 21, she didn't even understand what anxiety or a panic attack was.

"I remember I would get [panic attacks] on the hour every hour," Olsen recalled to the outlet. "I used to live on 13th Street between 6th and 7th. I was crossing 6th Avenue at 14th Street, and I realized I couldn't cross the street — I stood up against the wall, and I just thought I was going to drop dead at any moment."

"If I went from cold to hot, hot to cold, full to hungry, hungry to full — any kind of shift in my body, my whole body thought, 'Uh oh, something's wrong!' And I just started spiraling. It was so weird," she continued. "A ENT doctor said that it could be vertigo-related because it was all about truly spinning. So it was an interesting six months."

The Marvel star said it wasn't until she turned to a friend and medical expert that she was able to find ways to cope with her anxiety and the constant "spinning" feeling.

03 of 33

Carson Daly

When basketball star Kevin Love came on Today to share his experience having a panic attack during a game, Daly realized that he had the exact same experience while hosting MTV's Total Request Live years ago. The conversation inspired him to open up about his own mental health journey and experiences with anxiety.

"I've suffered for over 20 years with, at times, debilitating anxiety and panic, and never knew it. I never knew how to define it," Daly told PEOPLE in March 2021. "After finally opening up to friends, one of them had a history of anxiety, and looked at me and was like, 'You have anxiety.'"

The star went on to go to therapy to learn more about mental illness and how to manage it in a healthy way.

Daly is now working to help others struggling with mental illness and has joined forces with Project Healthy Minds to help end the stigma and also provide easier access to resources through technology.

04 of 33

J Balvin

The artist announced in November 2020 that he was going to take a social media break because of "anxiety and some depression."

"Like any human being, I've had some challenges," Balvin said in Spanish in a video on Instagram. "This time it's anxiety and some depression."

"I don't like acting or faking my happiness or that everything is perfect," he added. "I'm like any human being. I'm fragile and vulnerable, possibly more than all of you."

He then thanked his fans for staying connected.

"Soon, the storm will pass and I'll be back cracking jokes with you all," he said. "I'm not here to act but to be real and share what I'm feeling in the moment."

He ended the video with a peace sign (and his real first name), saying "I love you all. Jose."

05 of 33

Brittany Snow

The Almost Family actress opened up to PEOPLE in October 2007 about her struggles with anorexia, depression and self-harm, and admitted that the public's reaction to her honesty was "awful." So awful, in fact, that Snow developed severe anxiety and decided to take a break from the spotlight.

Then in October 2019, the star told InStyle that she's glad the stigma around mental illness is changing. "So many people are so open with their stories, and it's very, very cool and accepted that people are sharing their truth."

She continued: "I might've spoken too early, but at the same time, it started and was the impetus for so many changes in my life that have worked out really well, so it's okay."

Ultimately, Snow is proud of herself for being open. "I think that that's a really nice thing to feel like I was a part of, where I can tell my daughter one day, 'I was really honest when a lot of people weren't being honest,'" she added. "In my thirties, I can confidently say that it's almost like another life that I look back and [say], 'Wow, I was so anxious and scared, and now I'm just not.'"

06 of 33

Noah Cyrus

The singer and younger sister of Miley Cyrus told James Corden on The Late Late Show in October 2019 that her struggle with depression and anxiety inspired her to create an apparel line, the LONELY collection. The line was launched in partnership with The Crystal Campaign to support The Jed Foundation — a nonprofit that protects emotional health and helps prevent suicide for teens and young adults across America. "It's something very close to my heart," Cyrus said of her decision.

"I've struggled with anxiety and depression since I was 10 or 11 years old. So, I think it's a huge topic," she continued. "One of the things that I've always wanted to use this platform [for] was to talk about my mental health and help young adults all around America and everywhere in the world know that they're not alone."

07 of 33

Lizzo

Though the artist is known for her sunny disposition, she struggles with depression and has been extremely candid about it on social media.

In fact, the "Truth Hurts" singer told PEOPLE in July 2019 that her depression got so bad that she considered leaving music.

"The day I released 'Truth Hurts' was probably one of the darkest days I've had ever in my career. I remember thinking, 'If I quit music now, nobody would notice. This is my best song ever, and nobody cares,'" Lizzo recalled.

"I was like, 'F--- it, I'm done.' And a lot of people rallied; my producer, my publicist and my family, they were like, 'Just keep going because this is the darkest before the dawn.'"

She said of the experience: "Now the song that made me want to quit is the song that everyone's falling in love with me for, which is such a testament to journeys: Your darkest day turns into your brightest triumph."

08 of 33

Jonathan Van Ness

The Queer Eye star opened up to the Trevor Project in October 2019 about his struggle with depression and anxiety, and how he has learned to process both in a healthy way.

"Depression is not as easy as saying, 'Just find your joy and you're going to become happy.' That was never my experience," he said. "When we're identified fully with our depression, it will say, 'You have no joy, you have no way out.' There will be a negative, internal critic in our mind that we need to be able to dissociate from and pull ourselves away from."

Van Ness believes having a support system or someone who can make you realize that you are not alone is extremely important to keep you from feeling shame.

He explained, "When we're able to share with someone who we do feel safe with, we can realize that these things that are happening to us don't make us unloveable and aren't anything to have as a huge secret and don't make our future dark and dreary. Actually, we have a really gorgeous future and we deserve love and safety."

09 of 33

Selena Gomez

The singer opened up about her mental health when she was awarded the 2019 McLean Award for Mental Health Advocacy. Gomez announced that she would be taking a social media break and checked herself into a facility for help with her mental health the year before and a year later, Gomez decided to share her experience.

She said in her acceptance speech, "I think that we are better when we tell the truth and, so, this is my truth: Last year, I was suffering mentally and emotionally, and I wasn't able to stay all that kept together. I wasn't able to hold a smile or to keep things normal."

The singer added, "It felt like all of my pain and anxiety washed over me all at once and it was one of the scariest moments of my life."

But with help from doctors, Gomez was finally able to get a clear diagnosis and begin to understand her anxiety and depression.

As for why she decided to share what she went through? "For me, it feels right to share that I have personally felt the effects of both depression and anxiety — but it isn't easy. I have feared being misunderstood and judged," she explained.

"I know that I have been given experiences and people and opportunities that have made my life exceptionally beautiful and sweet — and yet I struggle with my own thoughts and feelings at times. But this doesn't make me faulty. This does not make me weak. This does not make me less than. This makes me human. We need help, and we need each other."

10 of 33

Kristen Bell

The Good Place actress revealed how she planned to talk to her two children about mental health.

She told Women's Health in September 2017, "I'll make sure our dialogue around the house is what it has been for a while, which is that vulnerability equals strength."

She continued, "Whether it's daddy who goes to AA or mommy who has mental health — she has to check in with it."

In another interview with Off Camera, Bell credited her mom with teaching her that it is okay to struggle with your mental health. "[My mom's] a nurse and she had the wherewithal to recognize that in herself ... when I was 18 she said, 'If you start to feel like you are twisting things around you, and you feel like there is no sunlight around you, and you are paralyzed with fear, this is what it is and here's how you can help yourself.'"

11 of 33

Taraji P. Henson

2019 Global Citizen Festival: Power The Movement – Red Carpet & Backstage — Taraji P. Henson arrives at 2019 Global Citizen Festival. Noam Galai/Getty

The Oscar-nominated actress is a huge advocate for mental health, particularly as it pertains to the Black community. The star even started the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, named after her late father who struggled with his own mental health, to raise awareness about the issue.

Henson told Essence in December 2020, "I've experienced mental illness in my family. I've certainly seen it in the community and even in the workplace. When it comes to African-American people, we don't deal with it. We pray about it, we shun it, we just don't talk about it. How are we going to help ourselves if we don't allow ourselves to be vulnerable?"

Henson also spoke about mental health when it comes to Black women, saying, "The mindset of the strong Black woman [is], 'I don't need your help. I can do it myself. I can carry all ten bags and my baby.' But that's not the position. It's okay to need help. It's okay to be vulnerable … It's okay not to be strong sometimes."

12 of 33

Olivia Culpo

The model got candid about her past battle with depression on Instagram in July 2019. Culpo reflected on the hardships she faced by comparing two selfies that were taken in the past and in 2019 to stress to her followers that "it's ok to not be ok" and to embrace their imperfections.

"Looking at the difference between these two photos today, and thought it was important to share something with all of you. 2nd photo, a few months ago: I was depressed. I had no appetite, was drinking way too much, smoking, couldn't sleep, and couldn't eat," she admitted, which showed a paler, thinner Culpo pouting for the camera.

"1st photo is from the other day, and I am looking healthier. I have my appetite back and am treating my body correctly," she added.

In a final note, Culpo encouraged her followers to keep moving forward, noting that embracing imperfections will help connect us all.

"Our imperfections/hardships make us all perfectly relatable, taking this journey through life together," Culpo wrote. "I think the more we understand how connected that makes all of us, the easier and more rewarding this life journey can be. Love you guys!!!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️"

13 of 33

Janet Jackson

2018 Billboard Music Awards - Arrivals — Janet Jackson arrives at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards. Frazer Harrison/Getty

The singer appeared in the July/August 2018 edition of Essence — dubbed The Happiness Issue — and told the magazine about her own journey to finding her joy through the years.

She shared that her deepest sadness began in her 30s. "The struggle was intense. I could analyze the source of my depression forever," she explained. "Low self-esteem might be rooted in childhood feelings of inferiority. It could relate to failing to meet impossibly high standards. And of course there are always the societal issues of racism and sexism. Put it all together and depression is a tenacious and scary condition."

Her 40s were no less difficult. "Happiness was elusive. A reunion with old friends might make me happy," she said. "A call from a colleague might make me happy. But because sometimes I saw my failed relationships as my fault, I easily fell into despair."

But things have been looking up for the new mom. Now, Jackson says son Eissa Al Mana has been a source of true joy.

14 of 33

Mayim Bialik

As part of the Child Mind Institute's #MyYoungerSelf campaign, the Big Bang Theory star got candid about her struggle with depression in May 2018.

"I think what I would have liked to tell my younger self about my mental health is that there are answers," she said in a video. "For me, some of those answers I had to wait years to find and I needed to get different help, which ended up being really the right kind of help."

"But I had this notion when I was younger that if something didn't work once, or if a therapist didn't work, or if a medication didn't work, that nothing would ever work," she added. "I wish I could have told my younger self that something will work — it's just going to take sometimes more research, sometimes more referrals, and really figuring things out like your life depends on it. Because for me, it did."

15 of 33

Camila Cabello

Celebrities wear white roses to support Time's Up at Brit Awards — Camila Cabello arrives at the Brits Award 2018. Dave J Hogan/Getty Images

The "Havana" singer opened up about her battle with obsessive-compulsive disorder in a candid interview with Cosmopolitan U.K. for their June 2018 cover story.

"OCD is weird. I laugh about it now," Cabello told the outlet. "Everybody has different ways of handling stress. And, for me, if I get really stressed about something, I'll start to have the same thought over and over again, and no matter how many times I get to the resolution, I feel like something bad is about to happen if I don't keep thinking about it."

Her diagnosis and family's support has helped her to feel more in control, she explains, "To the point where I'm just like, 'Aha! OK, this is just my OCD.' I'll ask my mom a question for the fourth time and she'll be like, 'That's OCD. You've got to let it go.'"

16 of 33

Busy Philipps

In a 2018 issue of PEOPLE, the actress reflected on her social anxiety and the postpartum anxiety she suffered from after the birth of her first child.

"I was barely holding it together," she said. "I didn't want anyone else touching [my child]. I felt like I was the only one that could help or soothe. That was a hard time."

Busy revealed that Courteney Cox then gave her life-changing advice while they were working on Cougar Town together. "Courteney was like, 'I think you should talk to a doctor about medication,'" which the actress did. She took antidepressants for around a year and a half afterwards, which helped her move through that difficult time.

17 of 33

Mariah Carey

775089651AZ00279_75th_Annua — Mariah Carey arrives at 75th annual Golden Globe Awards. Frederick M. Brown/Getty

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE in 2018, the singer opened up for the first time about her struggle with bipolar disorder.

"Until recently I lived in denial and isolation and in constant fear someone would expose me," she explained. "It was too heavy a burden to carry and I simply couldn't do that anymore. I sought and received treatment, I put positive people around me and I got back to doing what I love — writing songs and making music."

18 of 33

Shawn Mendes

2017 American Music Awards - Arrivals — Shawn Mendes arrives at the 2017 American Music Awards. Neilson Barnard/Getty

"It was kind of something that hit me within the last year. Before that, growing up, I was a pretty calm kid, super steady," Mendes told Beats 1's Zane Lowe of his secret struggle with anxiety.

"I knew people who had suffered from anxiety and found it kind of hard to understand, but then when it hits you, you're like, 'Oh my God, what is this? This is crazy.' That song is complete truth and the best thing about it is, it's not all down. The whole reason I wrote ['In My Blood'] was to be like, at the end, 'It's not in my blood to do that.'"

19 of 33

Bella Hadid

2017 Glamour Women Of The Year Awards — Bella Hadid arrives at the Glamour Women Of The Year Awards 2017. Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

While stopping by to meet with a group of aspiring models for her mom's Lifetime show, Making a Model with Yolanda Hadid, Hadid opened up about her experience with anxiety.

"Believe me, I get it and I understand it," she admitted in 2018 when one of the contestants revealed that she struggles with social anxiety disorder. "I was totally there. My sister [Gigi Hadid] is very bubbly and very out there, and I was always very reserved. I would literally start crying and shaking if I had to do interviews at red carpet events. It was really nerve-racking and it's scary, and it's not only you."

"It gets a lot better once you have to talk to people every day," she continued. "Then you're like, 'Okay, I guess it's my job, I have to do it!'"

20 of 33

Lili Reinhart

2017 PaleyLive LA Spring Season - "Riverdale" Screening And Conversation - Arrivals — Lili Reinhart arrival at the PaleyLive LA Spring Season - "Riverdale" Screening and Conversation 2017. Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

The Riverdale actress opened up about her battle with anxiety in a 2017 interview with W magazine, where she explained that she had to flee Los Angeles and move back in with her parents in North Carolina to get a handle on her mental health. "I felt like my world was crashing," she said, adding that she was working at a restaurant on top of auditioning as much as possible before landing her current role in Riverdale. "I didn't want to admit defeat, but I was like, 'I need to come home. My mental health is suffering, and it is making me physically ill.'"

Back home, the actress returned to a therapist who she had previously seen and began taking medication for her anxiety. "She really helped me build myself back up again," Reinhart said.

21 of 33

Pete Davidson

"I found out I have BPD, which is borderline personality disorder," the Saturday Night Live star explained on the WTF With Marc Maron podcast back in 2017, adding that he had experienced mental breakdowns that left him in a blind rage. "One of my psychiatrists [diagnosed me]. He was always saying before this big meltdown, 'You're probably bipolar or borderline, we're just going to have to figure it out.'"

Even with a diagnosis, Davidson still had to figure out how to handle the disorder, and added that he was "depressed all the time." He now goes to regular therapy sessions and is on a new medication.

"It is working, slowly but surely," Davidson said. "I've been having a lot of problems. This whole year has been a f---ing nightmare. This has been the worst year of my life, getting diagnosed with this and trying to figure out how to learn with this and live with this."

22 of 33

Gina Rodriguez

In 2017, the actress revealed her long battle with anxiety in an Instagram post that featured a short video of Rodriguez barefaced and staring at the camera, as part of photographer Anton Soggiu's Ten Second Portraits series.

"I suffer from anxiety. And watching this clip I could see how anxious I was but I empathize with myself. I wanted to protect her and tell her it's ok to be anxious, there is nothing different or strange about having anxiety and I will prevail," Rodriguez wrote. "I like watching this video. It makes me uncomfortable but there is a freedom I feel maybe even an acceptance. This is me."

23 of 33

Prince Harry

"I can safely say that losing my mom at the age of 12 and therefore shutting down all of my emotions for the last 20 years has had quite a serious effect on not only my personal life, but also my work as well," the royal said in 2017, opening up to The Telegraph about losing his mom, Princess Diana. "My way of dealing with it was sticking my head in the sand, refusing to ever think about my mum because why would that help?"

It took 17 years before Prince Harry sought out help, eventually going to counseling, where he was able to finally open up. "I've now been able to take my work seriously, and take my private life seriously, as well, and be able to put blood, sweat and tears into the things that really make a difference," he added. "Invictus would have never gotten off the ground if I hadn't dealt with all that stuff beforehand."

24 of 33

Jonathan Lipnicki

The former Jerry Maguire child star wrote a moving Instagram post in 2017 with the hope of helping others who struggle. "As a kid/teen I was made fun of relentlessly by some people who are now even my friends on FB. I was told I was a has-been and would never book a job again," he shared. "I was made to feel like garbage every day of middle school to the point where I had a panic attack every night before school, because I wondered how I would get through the day. It was humiliating."

He ended his note, writing, "I'm not a victim, I'm a survivor and kids will hopefully see that they can be too."

25 of 33

Gillian Anderson

After releasing a self-help book called We: A Manifesto for Women Everywhere, the actress talked to The Guardian in 2017 about her struggles with mental health and her road to recovery. Anderson's anxiety stems back to her youth, when she began therapy at age 14 and was voted "Most Likely to Get Arrested" by her high school classmates — a superlative she quickly proved to be correct when she was caught breaking into her school on the night of graduation. Her new book details many occasions when her mental health problems took over, sometimes leaving her wanting to isolate herself from the outside world.

"There were times when it was really bad," she revealed. "There have been times in my life where I haven't wanted to leave the house."

26 of 33

Chrissy Teigen

2017 DIRECTV NOW Super Saturday Night Concert In Houston - Arrivals — Chrissy Teigen at DIRECT NOW Super Saturday Night Concert 2017. Kevin Mazur/Getty

Teigen got very personal in the April 2017 issue of Glamour, penning an essay about struggling with postpartum depression and anxiety after Luna's birth. "Getting out of bed to get to set on time was painful. My lower back throbbed; my shoulders — even my wrists — hurt. I didn't have an appetite. I would go two days without a bite of food, and you know how big of a deal food is for me."

She continued: "Most days were spent on the exact same spot on the couch and rarely would I muster up the energy to make it upstairs for bed. John would sleep on the couch with me, sometimes four nights in a row. I started keeping robes and comfy clothes in the pantry so I wouldn't have to go upstairs when John went to work. There was a lot of spontaneous crying."

She credited John with being her rock, and said she opened up because she wants other moms to know they're not alone. "Postpartum does not discriminate. I couldn't control it. And that's part of the reason it took me so long to speak up: I felt selfish, icky, and weird saying aloud that I'm struggling. Sometimes I still do."

27 of 33

Ryan Phillippe

"I'm a lot more at peace than I was when I was younger," he told PEOPLE in 2016. "I struggled much more with depression when I was in my 20s and 30s. I think the amount of reading that I've done, the work on myself and the ways that I've found to cope are healthier than when I was younger."

He continued: "There is a sensitivity that will never change and an empathy that will never change but how you deal with those feelings and where you let them take you, that's an individualistic journey for anyone who struggles."

28 of 33

Emma Stone

"When I was about 7, I was convinced the house was burning down. I could sense it," she told Rolling Stone in 2016 about growing up as a child with anxiety. "Not a hallucination, just a tightening in my chest, feeling I couldn't breathe, like the world was going to end. There were some flare-ups like that, but my anxiety was constant."

She added: "At a certain point, I couldn't go to friends' houses anymore — I could barely get out the door to school."

Along with help from therapy, performing became a major way for Stone to overcome her anxiety. "I started acting at this youth theater, doing improv and sketch comedy," she said. "You have to be present in improv, and that's the antithesis of anxiety."

29 of 33

Lady Gaga

American Music Awards, Arrivals, Los Angeles, USA - 20 Nov 2016 — Lady Gaga at American Music Awards 2016. Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

During an emotional visit with homeless LGBTQ teens in New York City in 2016, the star shared a secret she's kept her whole life. "I told the kids today, 'I suffer from PTSD.' I've never told anyone that before. So here we are," Gaga told Today of the visit. "But the kindness that's shown to me by doctors as well as my family, and my friends, it's really saved my life."

She went on to explain how her own struggle allowed her to better understand the struggles facing teens who are pushed away from their families because of their sexuality. "These children are not just homeless or in need. Many of them are trauma survivors. They've been rejected in some type of way," she said. "My own trauma in my life has helped me to understand the trauma of others."

30 of 33

Miranda Kerr

In an interview for Elle Canada, the supermodel described herself as a "naturally positive person," but that she had "never understood the depth of [depression] or the reality of that" before she split from her ex-husband, Orlando Bloom, in 2013. "My mom used to call me a 'giggling Gert' because I was always laughing, even in my sleep," she said. "When Orlando and I separated, I actually fell into a really bad depression." During that difficult time, Kerr learned that "every thought you have affects your reality and only you have control of your mind," she told the magazine.

31 of 33

Amanda Seyfried

"I had pretty bad health anxiety that came from the OCD and thought I had a tumor in my brain," Seyfried told Allure in 2016, opening up about living with obsessive-compulsive disorder since she was a teenager. "I had an MRI, and the neurologist referred me to a psychiatrist … As I get older, the compulsive thoughts and fears have diminished a lot. Knowing that a lot of my fears are not reality-based really helps."

As for mental illness itself, the actress also shared her viewpoint: "It should be taken as seriously as anything else. You don't see the mental illness: It's not a mass; it's not a cyst. But it's there."

She continued: "Why do you need to prove it? If you can treat it, you treat it."

32 of 33

Pete Wentz

The Fall Out Boy bassist, who has struggled with bipolar disorder for years, wants to make sure people know there isn't a single treatment for such a complex condition. "I don't take any medication," Wentz told HuffPost Live in January 2020. "I went to therapy … but I think the idea that there's a one-size-fits-all [solution] is one of those myths. Everybody figures themselves out in different ways."

33 of 33

Catherine Zeta-Jones

When Zeta-Jones received a diagnosis of bipolar II disorder — a disease that affects millions — she knew she had to come forward if it could help people.

"This is a disorder that affects millions of people and I am one of them," she told PEOPLE in 2011. "If my revelation of having bipolar II has encouraged one person to seek help, then it is worth it. There is no need to suffer silently and there is no shame in seeking help."