5 Celebrities Who Have Opened Up About Their Mental Health Struggles
Demi Lovato
John Mulaney
Princess Diana
Carrie Fisher
Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato began acting at a very young age on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and early fame, combined with an alcoholic father, bulimic mother, and financial responsibility for her entire family, had Demi turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal with the pressure. In fact, at age 9, Demi began cutting herself and struggling with an eating disorder. “I didn’t think I would make it to 21,” she has famously said. Demi has been in rehab several times, to treat her bulimia and addiction issues, and in one of her stays was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. All of this will be covered in the upcoming documentary Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil, in which Lovato will open up about these hardships and more.
Bill Hader & John Mulaney
In a video recorded for 92nd Street Y, Bill Hader and John Mulaney discuss how they each cope with their anxiety. Hader has long been open about the panic attacks he used to have on Saturday Night Live, especially during the cold opens which were extra stressful. Hader had to just act through these panic attacks since the live show had to go on - and he did this for years. He recommends Lexapro, meditation, exercise for more than just looking good, and Lexapro. Mulaney also suffers from panic attacks and says he stopped consuming caffeine and sugar before shows, and also takes the occasional Wellbutrin. The two immensely talented and hilarious men talked about their issues with anxiety with ease and humor in front of a large crowd, with Hader explaining that even just saying it out loud - “I’m nervous” - can help calm him. They also both no longer drink - Mulaney especially being a huge partier in college - he’s talked about cocaine, shrooms, weed, and drinking in his stand-up and on late night talk shows. Unfortunately, during early quarantine, Mulaney checked into rehab for alcohol and cocaine abuse because of the stress that isolation and the pandemic created. He has recently checked out, and we will surely hear Mulaney do what he does best - turn even the darkest of moments into something hilarious.
Princess Diana
Since being thrust into the spotlight at age 19 by her relationship with the heir to the British throne, Charles, Prince of Wales, Diana began struggling with bulimia and depression. Her marriage was soon undeniably loveless, with both Charles and Diana engaging in affairs, and the paparazzi stalked her every move. She also suffered from postpartum depression, which she explained in an interview in 1995. It wasn’t a highly-discussed issue and everything had to be kept super hush-hush due to Diana having to uphold the royal reputation. Diana’s eating disorder and lonely, tumultuous time as Princess is portrayed in Netflix’s The Crown, and to learn about Diana further, she helped to write a tell-all book, Diana, and there have been many documentaries and other books made about her life and tragic, untimely death.
Carrie Fisher
Along with portraying the iconic Princess Leia in Star Wars, Carrie Fisher was also an advocate for mental health and very vocal about her bipolar disorder, which deeply affected her life - at points turning to drugs and alcohol to cope. She said in an interview with Diane Sawyer in 2000, “I am mentally ill. I can say that. I am not ashamed of that. I survived that, I’m still surviving it, but bring it on. Better me than you.” Fisher gave advice about how to support a loved one with bipolar disorder, encouraged others to seek help, and always approached the topic with humor and courage. She wrote a semi-autobiographical book in the eighties, Postcards From the Edge, which was later turned into a movie, and another semi-autobiographical book in 2008 called Wishful Drinking, which was based on a one-woman show she did around that time, both based on her struggles with substances and mental health, and both hilarious. Carrie Fisher had a unique charm and wit that made her especially good at talking about these kinds of issues and her influence was so helpful for so many.