Celebrities and Depression

I think many of us have the belief that if you are rich and famous then you must be happy. So many people aspire to and work toward that ideal of being a celebrity with more money than you can imagine. Look at all the reality shows we have these days - so many people desire to be a household name.

But the suicides of celebrities in the past few years - Robin Williams,  Kate Spade, Anthony Bourdain, and most recently,  apparently,  Naomi Judd, tell a different story. The average person might think being famous is awesome, but notoriety comes with a lot of baggage. And famous people can suffer with mental health issues like depression and anxiety, and addiction, just like anyone else. Recently Kim Bassinger spoke about dealing with panic attacks, and Ireland Baldwin said she suffers from debilitating health anxiety.

Celebrities are human. Their lives aren't perfect. Often being in the public eye can cause or exacerbate mental health conditions. It doesn't help that the media and the public loves to build someone up and then tear them down at the slightest provocation.

One would think that Naomi Judd had it all. Yes, she suffered from depression, she wrote about it. But she was about to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. She and her daughter Wynonna were going on tour. Exciting things were happening for her. But apparently it was too much for her.

We want our celebrities to be happy, living the lives that dreams are made of. But unfortunately sometimes the opposite is true.

librarianintx