On World Suicide Prevention Day: Advice from 8 Celebrities Battling Mental Illness

CULTURE

On World Suicide Prevention Day: Advice from 8 Celebrities Battling Mental Illness

10 Sep, 19

On World Suicide Prevention Day: Advice from 8 Celebrities Battling Mental Illness — Lizzo at the 63rd Grammys
Photo by Jordan Strauss-AP-Shutterstock

It’s hard to imagine celebrities going through the same everyday problems we do, but the truth is that hundreds of millions of Americans struggle with mental illness, and that doesn’t exclude the rich and famous.

Unfortunately, statistics show that approximately half of those people, famous or not, do not seek treatment. This is likely in large part because of the stigma surrounding psychiatric treatment. In reality, mental illness is no different than a physical ailment, in that it’s never the patients’ fault and it requires care and treatment from a professional. One of the best ways to help combat that stigma is to speak about mental health openly, something more and more people—including actors, musicians, and other public personalities—are doing on social media and otherwise. On this World Suicide Prevention day, check out this list of inspiring celebrities who have opened up about their battles with mental illness.

Halsey – Embrace Your Strengths (and Weaknesses)

Photo by Zed Jameson-SIPA (Shutterstock)

Halsey

Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, known by her stage name Halsey, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 17. Since beginning her career as Halsey, Frangipane has been committed to a mental hospital twice. She told Elle, “The thing about having bipolar disorder, for me, is that I’m really empathetic. I feel everything around me so much. I feel when I walk past a homeless person, and I feel when my friend breaks up with someone, or I feel when my mom and my dad get into a fight and my mom’s f*ckin’ crying over dishes in the sink. I used to say to her all the time, like, ‘I hate this. I want to be naïve. I want to be worried about my prom dress. I want to be worried about getting my math homework done. I want to be like everyone else my age,’ and she would say, ‘Would you rather be blissfully ignorant or would you rather be pained and aware?’ That was one of the things that’s kind of followed with me through my whole life. She’s encouraging of what I’m doing because she knows that even if sometimes I might be in pain, I’m aware.”