Depression is a serious illness. It is a state of mind where the affected person suffers from bad mood and dislikes day to day activities. Due to this the person’s behavior and thoughts are affected. Depressed people suffer from insomnia, fatigue, extreme sleeping, lack of energy, etc. Anyone can suffer from depression. Even people who are very successful and have everything suffer from depression. Here is a list of 20 famous celebrities who suffered depression.
1. Jon Hamm: Actor Jon Hamm’s father expired when Jon was just 20 years of age. This incidence made him suffer from chronic depression. He was able to recover from this depression by involving himself in his school. He also took help from therapy and also took some antidepressants.
2. Ashley Judd: Presently Ashley Judd has a happy married life and enjoys a successful career. She has a loving husband and involves herself in humanitarian work. But it was not like this in her past. In her memoir of 2011 she revealed that when she was in 6th grade she thought about suicide. She also told that in 2006 she was in a rehab clinic for 42 days to treat her depression. She has been able to get her life in order by reunion with her family members whom she was not in touch and by engaging in humanitarian acts.
3. Owen Wilson: Owen Wilson character is perceived to be that of a fun loving and laid back person. But people came to know about the other side of this actor in 2007 when it was reported that Owen Wilson tried to commit suicide. This incidence took place at his California home. His friends revealed that Owen Wilson was fighting with the problem of depression and drug addiction. But Wilson came out of his depression and the suicidal feeling. He was able to achieve this by spending time with his family and friends.
4. Paulina Porizkova: In 2007 actress and model Porizkova felt rejected when she was voted out off ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. She started getting in anxiety attacks. Porizkova reveled in the editorial of Huffington Post in 2011 that she started taking antidepressant to cope up with the anxiety attacks. Though the drug dulled her anxiety it also dulled her personality. So she finally stopped taking the anti depressants. She took refuge in exercise regime to fight the withdrawal symptoms.
5. Heath Ledger : Died at the young age of 28 by overdose of painkillers, anxiety drugs and sleeping pills as he used to suffer from insomnia. The reason for his depression was his separation from actress Michelle Williams, who was his 10 year daughter’s mother.
6. Demi Lovato: During the World Tour of Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato had an argument with a dancer. Due to this argument she got so much depressed that she had to check in for “emotional and physical issues” treatment. Later when she came out of the facility after the treatment she confessed that she suffered from bulimia, bipolar disorder and anorexia.
7. David Arquette: David Arquette started behaving erratically when he and his wife Courteney Cox separated. He used to drink a lot and behave like a maniac. To cure his depression and alcohol he got himself admitted in rehab center.
8. Catherine Zeta-Jones: Actress Zeta-Jones who is of 41 years of age, told in 2011 that she was suffering from bipolar II disorder. This was the reason for her severe depression. This was a bold decision and she was praised by Jane Pauley, host of Dateline NBC. By her revealing that she had bipolar depression she made people having the same problem deal with it in a better manner.
9. Andre Waters: Andre Waters was former NFL player. He committed suicide in 2006 when he was of age 44. This action shocked his friends and family. Andre had got hurt and got concussions in his brain when he played football. These concussions were the reason for his damage to his brain and depression. This condition is known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Several other football players have also committed suicide due to this problem.
10. Gwyneth Paltrow: Actress Gwyneth Paltrow cherished being a mom when she gave birth to a daughter in 2004, named Apple. But when she gave birth to a son after 2 years she started suffering from disturbed emotions. She acted like a zombie. The reason for this was postpartum depression.
11. Marissa Jaret Winokur : It is often believed that postpartum depression happens when a woman give birth to a baby physically. But this is not true. Marissa Jaret Winokur was blessed with a boy by surrogate. Responsibility to raise a baby made her stressed and besieged. She did not used to feel linked to the child. Then she decided to get out of the depression. She consulted a therapist, started exercise regime and also started her work. Slowly when her son was 10 months old she was able to some out of her depression.
12. Amanda Beard: Amanda Beard won gold medal for swimming at the Beijing Olympic Games in 1995. At that time her age was just 14 years old. This success made her grow fast. This fast growth and weight gain hampered her self-esteem. She went into depression due to these happenings. She was not able to reduce her weight and this aggravated the problem further. She started getting help and treatment since 2005. She started the doses of anti depressants. This helped her a lot. She gave birth to a son in 2009. She admits that she is better but not perfect.
13. Jeret Peterson: Peterson is Olympic freestyle skier. He suffered from depression . Due to this he had caused himself a self inflicted wound by gun when he was of age 29. This wound caused him to die 2011. The reason for his depression was his troubled childhood.
14. Princess Diana: According to the Daily Mail Kate Middleton had to receive counseling before she married Prince William. This was a preventive measure to ensure that she can gel with the royal family. This was because Diana who was William’s mother suffered from depression and loneliness. She suffered from an eating disorder as well as postpartum depression. Her condition worsened further when her marriage proved to be unsuccessful.
15. Tipper Gore: Al Gore has separated from her husband Al Gore. She suffered from depression and has undergone depression treatment. She went into depression when her son met with a fatal accident. She started taking medicine for some time. She believes that it is necessary to sought for treatment and help when in depression. She also says that one should strive to have good mental health.
16. Andrew Koenig: Andrew Koenig suffered from depression almost throughout his life. The depression was the reason why he took his life. According to his sister he had stopped taking his medicines. His parents spoke about his depression problem very openly after his death. As they wanted the message to reach people who are depressed and thinking of taking their own life.
17. Brooke Shields: Actress and model Brook Shields is considered to be the first celebrity who publicly spoke about her fight with postpartum depression. She described her experience in the book written by her. The name of the book is “Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression.” She also wrote an opinion article in the New York Times. She defended her choice of choosing medication to overcome her postpartum depression. She got a lot of support from other women who have experienced the same condition.
18. Paige Hemmis : Hemmis was the host of “Extreme Makeover”. She was cheerful, lively, and sympathetic while in front of the camera. She always wore her gorgeous smile. In 2009, September she spoke publicly about her depression and the experience of crying fits, insomnia and eating spree. She also shared that working in the “Extreme Makeover” has helped her lot to fight her depression. This is because when she was involved in the mission to restore the damaged homes of families it is a rewarding experience.
19. Winona Ryder: Winona Ryder told San Francisco Chronicle that she had undergone a spree of depression after her relationship with actor Johnny Depp finished. At that time she was 19 years of age. She used to experiencing depression attacks, anxiety attacks. This led her to abusing alcohol extensively. She sought help from a therapist when she nearly burnt herself when she slept with a lit cigarette.
20. Kendra Wilkinson: Kendra Wilkinson is a reality TV actress and also former Playboy Playmate. She went into severe postpartum depression when she gave birth to a baby at the age of 14. She felt stressed and frustrated as she had no sense of herself. She had lost her figure due to child birth. This was frustrating for her. She was able to come out of this postpartum depression after 2 years and spoke publicly about it as according to her these situations should be shared and people should sought help.
A number of celebrities have benefited from a number of alcohol rehab program options, but many of them have yet to take the chance to deal with their addictions.
