If you think famous people have it easy in life, think again. The reality isn’t what it seems – Really, they’re a lot like us in that they can suffer from mental health issues. Thankfully, some female celebs are opening up about their experiences to help others, including how therapy has helped them manage obstacles to their emotional well-being. Below are 3 ladies in particular whose names you likely know and their views on counseling.
3 female celebs on therapy:
Kerry Washington
She’s well-known for playing Olivia Pop on TV’s Scandal. But a lesser-known point about Kerry Washington is that she was a binge-eater.
This actress told Essence magazine that she would binge in her college dorm room on full jars of peanut butter and pints of ice cream. “I’d eat anything and everything… sometimes until I passed out.”
This unhealthy relationship with food was all the more abusive as she felt shame and exercised for hours, telling others she was at the library instead of the gym. The effect of the binge-eating cycle on Washington didn’t go unnoticed though as her dance teacher noticed something was wrong and approached her.
That was the start of her therapy sessions. “Therapy helped me realize that maybe it’s okay for me to communicate my feelings. Instead of literally stuffing them down with food, maybe it’s okay for me to express myself.”
Read more about emotional eating here.
Clara Hughes
This Canadian trailblazer is an Olympian not just once but six times! She’s conquered both the Winter Olympics in speed skating and the Summer games in cycling, making her an athlete with great abilities.
But Clara Hughes also has battled the monster called depression, as she’s openly talked about as the spokesperson for Bell Canada’s Let’s Talk Day and at public speaking events. In the video below, she talks about the loneliness and isolation she felt while continuing to train after having won two Olympic medals:
As the athlete says in the video above, she was in a deep depression for two years, training only 7 weeks one year and 8 weeks the other year. The rest of the time she spent in darkness, gaining weight, sleeping all day, and feeling like a failure.
“There was an intervention by a doctor,” explains Clara Hughes in the above interview. During her routine physical, this professional told her that she didn’t need to feel alone in her feelings and there were ways to feel better.
She also talks about being cognizant of the fact that the depression could return. Rather than overcoming the mental illness, it’s more about managing it.
Chrissy Teigen
She’s a model who’s married to singer John Legend and… no, she’s not flawless. But she is open about her experiences with postpartum depression (PPD) and that candidness makes her beautiful.
After their first child, Luna was born, Chrissy Teigen says she didn’t know it was unnatural to feel low. “I just assumed it was motherhood.”
She explains in that same interview that she went for treatment after loved ones told her they noticed significant changes in her personality. Since then she has been a spokesperson for Allegheny Health Network, sharing her story with other women who have pregnancy-related depression.
When she first opened up about PPD to Glamour Magazine in an essay in 2017, she wrote, “I couldn’t figure out why I was so unhappy.”
When she went to the doctor for a physical exam, Teigan says she cried because “[she] was so tired of being in pain. Of sleeping on the couch. Of waking up throughout the night. Of throwing up. Of taking things out on the wrong peple.”
Then she got the diagnosis of postpartum depression and anxiety. As she explains in this essay, she wanted to share her experiences to show that PPD can happen to anyone and so those with it don’t feel embarrassed.
Instead, talk about it, be honest, and seek help. If you’re looking at helping others through their issues, becoming a counselor may be a great option for you. Learn more about counseling jobs that can make a positive difference.
Female celebs helping disband the mental health stigma
It takes courage to speak your truth, whether you are a celebrity or not. The ladies above are doing exactly that and helping break down the mental health stigma.
While anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions aren’t ones that a lot of people yet openly talk about struggling with, my hope is that more will do so after seeing they’re not the only ones going through this. Reach out to a close friend or family member if you feel off, as there is help out there and you can feel better.
And, yes, I’ve been in therapy for depression and GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder). Here’s my experience on going to therapy for the first time.
Celebrities have a far-reaching platform to knock down stereotypes and myths. I’m glad to see them using their increased exposure in productive ways.
Yes it’s nice when they have a positive influence! Thanks for being here, Pete.