18 Famous People Who Have Been Candid About Their Mental Health

Prince Harry said that he was "probably very close to a breakdown on numerous occasions" because of the constant public scrutiny he and his family have faced.

This post contains topics of sexual assault. 

1. Sydney Sweeney shared that her sudden rise to fame caused panic attacks and made her feel like she was dying. She even said, “I was losing my shit.”

Filmmagic / FilmMagic for HBO / Getty

She explained that she took a break and went back home to the Pacific Northwest for two weeks to partake in some “hiking and skiing and doing what I truly love.” During that time she also made sure to be phone-free. While it did help a bit, she still has anxiety. “I still can’t get my mind to shut up, and I don’t sleep,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. 

2. Harry Styles shared that he experienced stage fright and anxiety during his early days with One Direction because he was afraid of singing incorrect notes or getting things wrong.

Geoff Robins / AFP via Getty Images

In One Direction's autobiography, Who We Are, he wrote, "I suffered some pretty serious confidence issues when I first appeared on stage. At that point, any natural confidence I had was being taken over by nerves because back then I had no idea how to channel and control my anxiety."

3. Selena Gomez has been extremely vocal about her experiences with anxiety and depression throughout the years — she's even quit social media at times because of it.

Steve Granitz / FilmMagic / Getty

With her main source of anxiety being Instagram, Selena shared, "I have problems with depression and anxiety, and I found it difficult for me to be me." She added that "At one point Instagram became my whole world, and it was really dangerous. Taking a break from social media was the best decision that I've ever made for my mental health. I created a system where I still don't have my passwords. And the unnecessary hate and comparisons went away once I put my phone down. I'll have moments where that weird feeling will come back, but now I have a much better relationship with myself."

4. This summer, Jonah Hill said that after “nearly 20 years [of] experiencing anxiety attacks" he'd no longer publicly promote his films.

Kurt Krieger / Corbis via Getty Images

In a statement issued to Deadline, he said, “I have finished directing my second film, a documentary about me and my therapist which explores mental health in general called Stutz. The whole purpose of making this film is to give therapy and the tools I’ve learned in therapy to a wide audience for private use through an entertaining film. Through this journey of self-discovery within the film, I have come to the understanding that I have spent nearly 20 years experiencing anxiety attacks, which are exacerbated by media appearances and public-facing events. 

I am so grateful that the film will make its world premiere at a prestigious film festival this fall, and I can’t wait to share it with audiences around the world in the hope that it will help those struggling. However, you won’t see me out there promoting this film, or any of my upcoming films, while I take this important step to protect myself. If I made myself sicker by going out there and promoting it, I wouldn’t be acting true to myself or to the film.

I usually cringe at letters or statements like this but I understand that I am of the privileged few who can afford to take time off. I won’t lose my job while working on my anxiety. With this letter and with Stutz, I’m hoping to make it more normal for people to talk and act on this stuff. So they can take steps towards feeling better and so that the people in their lives might understand their issues more clearly.

I hope the work will speak for itself and I’m grateful to my collaborators, my business partners and to all reading this for your understanding and support."

5. Ryan Reynolds said he's had anxiety his "whole life" and shared that he sometimes feels there are "two parts" of his personality, and the anxious side sometimes "takes over."

Mike Coppola / Getty Images

He told CBS Sunday Morning, "When I would go out on, like, Letterman, back in the day, I was nervous. But I remember I'd be standing backstage before the curtain would open, and I would think to myself, 'I'm gonna die. I'm literally gonna die here. The curtain's gonna open and I'm just gonna be, I'm just gonna be a symphony of vomit,' just, like, something horrible's gonna happen! But as soon as that curtain opens — and this happens in my work a lot, too — it's like this little guy takes over. And he's like, 'I got this. You're cool.' I feel, like, my heart rate drop, and my breathing calm, and I just sort of go out and I'm this different person. And I leave that interview going, 'God, I'd love to be that guy!'"

6. Gabrielle Union opened up about her experiences with PTSD and anxiety after being sexually assaulted at 19.

Arturo Holmes / Getty Images for FLC

On Instagram, she said, "As a rape survivor, I have battled PTSD for 30 years. Living with anxiety and panic attacks all these years has never been easy. There’s times the anxiety is so bad it shrinks my life. Leaving the house or making a left hand turn at an uncontrolled light can fill me with terror. Anxiety can turn my anticipation about a party or fun event I’ve been excited about attending (Met Ball) into pure agony. When we tell y’all what we are experiencing, please believe us the 1st time we mention it. No, it’s not like being nervous and everyone experiences and deals with anxiety differently, and that’s OK. I don’t need you to try to “fix” me. I share this as I hope everyone living with anxiety knows they aren’t alone or “being extra.” I see you, I FEEL you and there is so much love for you. Always. Love and light good people. Be good to each other out there 🖤"

7. Prince Harry said that he finally confronted his anxiety while he was in the military and attributed it to the constant public scrutiny he and his family have faced.

Chris Jackson / Getty Images for Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023

He added, "I have probably been very close to a complete breakdown on numerous occasions when all sorts of grief and sort of lies and misconceptions and everything are coming to you from every angle." 

8. Lili Reinhart has shared that after being diagnosed with depression at the age of 14, some days she still feels "really defeated" by it.

Daniele Venturelli / WireImage / Getty

In an Instagram story, she said, "It's an exhausting battle that I've been fighting for 11 years and some days, like today, it can feel intolerable. This is a reminder to my fellow warriors that it's okay to have days where you don't want to fight anymore. You don't need to justify your mental health to anyone. Prioritize yourself when needed, take time to rest. Surround yourself with good people and high vibrations. But remember you are always worth fighting for. And tomorrow could be such a beautiful day."

9. Adele said that she'd dealt with "the most terrifying anxiety attacks" after she left her marriage but found relief through working out.

Jim Dyson / Redferns / Getty

During her One Night Only special, she explained, “I realized that when I was working out, I didn’t have any anxiety. It was never about losing weight. I thought, ‘If I can make my body physically strong, and I can feel that and see that, then maybe one day I can make my emotions and my mind physically strong.’”

10. Kristen Bell said her experience with anxiety and depression felt like a "generalized dark cloud" over her. She added that it felt as if her "real personality was in a tiny cage" inside of her body.

Jon Kopaloff / WireImage / Getty

She explained, "I know that I present someone who is very bubbly and happy all the time and a lot of the time I am because I have really good tools." She also explained that medication, mindfulness, and exercise helped relieve her symptoms. 

11. Taraji P. Henson has said that talking to her therapist is the "only way" she can deal with her depression.

Prince Williams / Getty Images

She told Variety, "I suffer from depression. I have a therapist that I speak to. That’s the only way I can get through it. You can talk to your friends, but you need a professional who can give you exercises. So that when you’re on the ledge, you have things to say to yourself that will get you off that ledge and past your weakest moments."

12. Back in 2016, Kid Cudi went to rehab for his anxiety and depression. He wrote an open letter to his fans explaining that they've "ruled my life for as long as I can remember."

Rebecca Sapp / Getty Images for The Recording Academy

His letter read, "My anxiety and depression have ruled my life for as long as I can remember and I never leave the house because of it...I can't make new friends because of it. I don't trust anyone because of it and I'm tired of being held back in my life. I deserve to have peace. I deserve to be happy and smiling."

13. Ariana Grande said that though she's dealt with anxiety since she was young, the months after the UK terrorist attack at her Manchester show were especially triggering for her.

Nbc / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

She told Elle, "When I got home from tour, I had really wild dizzy spells, this feeling like I couldn’t breathe. I would be in a good mood, fine and happy, and they would hit me out of nowhere. I’ve always had anxiety, but it had never been physical before. There were a couple of months straight where I felt so upside down."

14. Stephen Colbert opened up about his experiences with panic attacks and explained that performing has been his best coping mechanism.

Trae Patton / NBC via Getty Images

He told Rolling Stone, "Creating something is what helped me from just spinning apart like an un-weighted flywheel. And I haven't stopped since."

15. Jon Hamm is a proud advocate of going to therapy and said it's helped him work through his depression.

Slaven Vlasic / Getty Images

He told InStyle, "Medical attention is medical attention whether it’s for your elbow or your teeth or for your brain. And it’s important. We live in a world where to admit anything negative about yourself is seen as a weakness, when it’s actually a strength."

16. Emma Stone has opened up about being a "very, very, very anxious child," and she's since "benefited big" from therapy. As a child, she'd even drawn her anxiety in the form of a little green monster.

Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

She told Rolling Stone, "I drew a little green monster on my shoulder that speaks to me in my ear and tells me all these things that aren't true. And every time I listen to it, it grows bigger. If I listen to it enough, it crushes me. But if I turn my head and keep doing what I'm doing – let it speak to me, but don't give it the credit it needs – then it shrinks down and fades away." 

17. Lady Gaga was inspired to start the Born This Way Foundation because of her anxiety and depression.

Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic / Getty

She told Billboard, "I’ve suffered through depression and anxiety my entire life, I still suffer with it every single day, I just want these kids to know that that depth that they feel as human beings is normal. We were born that way. This modern thing, where everyone is feeling shallow and less connected? That's not human.”

18. And finally, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has depression and said the "key" is destigmatizing mental illness and talking about it.

Kate Green / Kate Green / Getty Images for Warner Bros.

He told ITV, "Depression doesn’t discriminate. Regardless of who you are or what you do for a living, it doesn’t discriminate. We all kinda go through it. I thought, 'Well, if I could share a little bit of it with people and if it could help somebody, I'm happy to do it.' The key thing I found is…especially [for] us as guys...you gotta talk about it, you’re not alone."