COLUMN: What does it mean when celebrities talk about their mental health?

Singer, Adele, actor, Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) and Prince Harry. Just a few of the names in the spotlight who have been open about their mental health, in particular, depression and anxiety.

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hat does it mean to us when we hear about celebrities who have been open about their mental health? I would suggest that it offers a certain level of comfort to those who are experiencing depression or anxiety, just to name two mental health conditions.

Many people feel pressure to live lives that live up to expectations – from ourselves, from others and even the world at large.

Living up to others expectations of ourselves can have a negative impact on our mental health. In another issue, I touched on the topic of social media and how it can have a negative impact on our mental health.

This is mainly due to the approval element of social media i.e. how many likes you get or don’t get. Most of the time this is from Facebook friends but can also be from strangers across other channels like the dating app Tinder or even YouTube. In fairness to Instagram, they have taken a huge leap.

They have taken the number of likes displayed on people’s profiles off the profiles.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that celebrities struggle with their mental health just as much as any of us.

They are bombarded with expectations every day of their lives, from those around them and from the media at large. Can we compare our lives with that of the celebrity lifestyle?

Our lives are much more grounded in the more practical elements of life and that may have an impact on mental health. For example, failed relationships, personal finances or just low self-esteem.

That is not to say that celebrities don’t struggle with those issues, however I believe it’s not something we identify with when we see them in the media.

Each individual is different. Some people have an awareness or appreciation that celebrities also struggle with these issues, however I would suggest that many people don’t put two and two together as the man says and realize in fact, celebrities are people too with ongoing personal struggles.

Is it dangerous that these celebrities have opened up about their mental health? I am going to be a little bit bold and say that yes, it could possibly be dangerous.

There is a younger generation who look up to celebrities like those mentioned above as role models. Of course it is “ok not to feel ok” however we must highlight that we do not want to glorify the idea of mental health difficulty where it gets to a point that younger, more naive people may label mental health as possibly - cool?

We all know, particularly the younger generation that there is nothing “cool” about mental health difficulty and it is a very serious situation that has caused a huge amount of grief in Irish families throughout the years.

I believe any kind of awareness is good as long as it is expressed in an empathetic manner and speaks to people on the level.

As I mentioned in the past, there is no point in sugar coating mental health. Again, each individual is different in how they view mental health difficulty and it remains complex.

Overall, this week, I would just like to comment on the Christmas period now looming.

For some, it is a time of joy and happiness and for others it is the opposite.

I am going to suggest that you set aside a little challenge for yourself this week. It’s not a big ask. A small act of kindness goes a long way at this time of year.

So, this week, when time is right, I am suggesting that you extend a gesture of kindness towards another person.

It might be a text to say, “How are you?” just to let someone know you are thinking of them. Or it might be firing on the kettle and making a nice cup of tea. Whatever works for you.

I am going to leave it there for this week’s article. As always, any feedback is appreciated on my weekly contributions. You can find me on Twitter or Instagram.

My Instagram handle is muddyshoesmusic1 where you can find some other projects I have on the go which includes a new music album coming out in the New Year where many of the songs focus in on mental health.

The genre is Hip-Hop which has really taken off in Ireland in the last four to five years.

Would be glad to connect with The Nationalist readers. All the best and stay safe.