5 Celebs Who've Struggled With Mental Health

And what they had to say about it
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 7, 2015 4:00 PM CST
5 Celebs Who've Struggled With Mental Health
Leonardo DiCaprio speaks at the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015, in New York.   (Photo by Greg Allen/Invision/AP)

Drew Barrymore has been opening up about mental health issues recently, first revealing she struggled with postpartum depression after the birth of her second child, then later talking about her childhood, during which she was "institutionalized" at a hospital for the mentally ill at age 13. The Chive rounds up 15 more celebrities who have discussed their mental health struggles. A sampling:

  1. Elton John, bulimia: "As soon as I said ['I need help'], I knew that I was going to get better, and I was determined to get better. But it was just a relief to be able to say those [words]."
  2. Carrie Fisher, bipolar disorder: "Sometimes you didn't want to be that person. You didn't want to hold the dinner party hostage. And I didn't have a choice. I'd keep people on the phone for eight hours. When my mania is going strong, it's sort of a clear path. You know, I'm flying high up onto the mountain, but it starts going too fast. I stop being able to connect. My sentences don't make sense. I'm not tracking anymore and can't sleep and I'm not reliable."

  1. Leonardo DiCaprio, obsessive compulsive disorder: "I remember my makeup artist and assistant walking me to the set [of The Aviator, which triggered the OCD he'd suffered as a child] and going, 'Oh God, we're going to need 10 minutes to get him there because he has to walk back and step on that thing, touch the door and walk in and out again. It literally drove me nuts a lot of the time. And it lasted for a couple months after filming and still is."
  2. Adam Levine, ADHD: "When I was first diagnosed with ADHD, it wasn't a surprise, because I had difficulty in high school focusing. And I think now, people notice my ADHD as an adult on a daily basis. When I can't pay attention, I really can't pay attention."
  3. Jon Hamm, depression: "Honestly? Antidepressants help! If you can change your brain chemistry enough to think, 'I want to get up in the morning; I don't want to sleep until four in the afternoon. I want to get up and go do my s--- and go to work and...' Reset the auto-meter, kickstart the engine!"
Click for the complete list, including one celebrity who explained why it was important for him to get off Prozac. (More Drew Barrymore stories.)

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