The Faces of Mental Illness

Mental Illness is so common, and so many Canadians suffer from mental illness, or know someone who does. 

I found it inspirational and motivating to learn that someone famous, someone who has achieved apparent success has gone through the same or similar battles. And you would be surprised to find out who...

Ben Stiller - Actor / Comedian

In August of 2001, quoted by a Hollywood.com writer as saying to GQ, "I have not been an easygoing guy. I think it's called bipolar manic depression. I've got a rich history of that in my family. I'm not proud of the fact that I lost my temper. Sometimes you just [expletive] up."
The quote resulted from different incidents happening on the set of Zoolander, a movie he co-wrote, starred in and directed.
Ben Sitller, not just a well known comedic actor, also has played a role in directing and writing, and are too numerous to mention. In 2000 he married actress Christine Taylor; they have a daughter, Ella Olivia, who was born in August of 2002.

Billy Joel

 A singer, pianist and songwriter Billy Joel has won 6 Grammys and is in the songwriter's Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He has top ten hits from the 70's, 80's and 90's. He battled many times against depression and even tried to commit suicide by drinking furniture polish. He then said "I drank furniture polish, it looked tastier then bleach". He is now semi-retired and continues to write and perform.




Abraham Lincoln

The sixteenth President of the United States. Lincoln is ranked among the top three U.S. Presidents, with the majority of those surveyed placing him first. There have been reports that Abraham Lincoln may have suffered from which they then called melancholia, which basically is todays form of depression.







Cameron Diaz 

American actress and former fashion model. She is best known for her roles in popular hit movies such as The Mask, There's Something About Mary, Charlie's Angels, and Gangs of New York. Cameron Diaz suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder, and has admitted she "habitually rubs doorknobs so hard before opening doors to clean them that the original paint on the doorknobs fades afterwards." She says, "she washes her hands 'many times' each day and uses her elbows to push open doors." Diaz has modified her fears in a way, saying on May 10, 2007, "I think I've made my peace with it."




Elton John

During the late 1980’s, Elton John struggled with bulimia and drug abuse. The pop superstar went through other struggles involving sexual identity and alcoholism. In 1991 he founded the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

John Nash

American mathematician working in differential geometry, game theory and partial differential equations. The Hollywood blockbuster hit "A Beautiful Mind" was made representing Nash, which was later nominated  for 8 Oscars. The movie was based on his mathematical genius and his struggle with Schizophrenia. Nash would perform scientific experiments in his room at a young age and would prefer to work alone. Nash was awarded the John von Neumann Theory Prize for his invention of non-cooperative equilibria, now called Nash equilibria. Between 1945 and 1996 he had published a total of 23 scientific studies.

 Brooke Shields

                                    

Super Model, actress and author.The birth of her child had caused her to suffer from severe postpartum depression, it came to the point where seeing a window would give her the feeling that she had to jump out of her misery. She was felt shame and emptiness from the bottom up and would sometimes not even answer to her crying baby. Fortunately she has worked through the initial post natal depression and enjoys the challenge of being a mother.
Shields is a spokeswoman for Tupperware's Chain of Confidence SMART Girls campaign, a program that teaches girls to nurture their mental and physical well-being. And recently was one of the stars from the popular television series "Lipstick Jungle".

And there are many other celebrities who have or continue to battle mental illneses including;

Donald Trump, Jessica Alba, David Beckham, Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese and others. And most have lived or are continuing to live successful, happy lives. Proving that if you suffer from a mental illness, you don't have to let it hold you back from achieving greatness. You can seek treatment, and therapy and also pursue your dreams!