25 Celebrities Who Suffer From Mental Illness

We often imagine celebrities as leading perfect lives – when you"re rich and famous, what problems could you possibly have?

But the truth is, stars can suffer as much as anyone. Mental illness, as they say, does not discriminate.

Many celebs have been open about their struggles with mental health, helping to end the stigma that once surrounded conditions such as depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and bipolar disorder.

1. Demi Lovato

Demi Lovato has been open about her struggle with bipolar disorder, cutting and bulimia. “I never found out until I went into treatment that I was bipolar,” she told People when she was 18.

2. Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio suffers from OCD, which he drew upon while playing Howard Hughes in The Aviator.

3. Lena Dunham

Lena Dunham suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression and anxiety, and even incorporated OCD into her character on Girls. She has taken medication for her conditions and told fans on Instagram that exercise helps immensely.

4. Robin Williams

Funnyman Robin Williams suffered from depression, paranoia and anxiety and tragically took his own life in 2014. However, his widow Susan said her husband’s death was a result of Lewy Body Dementia, a form of neurodegenerative dementia that causes mood instability, hallucinations and impaired motor skills.

5. Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber admitted to taking Adderall for ADHD, but recently quit because it gave him anxiety. Early in 2016, he canceled meet-and-greets with fans, saying they left him feeling “drained and unhappy” and “mentally and emotionally exhausted to the point of depression.”

6. Angelina Jolie

The movie star admitted that she used to cut herself as a teen. “I went through a period that when I felt trapped I would cut myself. I have a lot of scars,” she told OK! magazine.

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Kanye West: Needs Spiritual & Mental Counseling, Says Former Co-Writer

Citizens the world over have thought Kanye West was a little off his rocker from time to time (okay, most of the time), what with his constant egotistical claims that he’s the biggest rock star on the planet and his downright insane Twitter rants.

But a former friend and colleague is now suggesting that Kanye’s issue could be more than just extreme arrogance.

Rhymefest, who has co-written many songs with Kanye including “Jesus Walks” and “New Slaves,” recently tweeted to fans that he believes his fellow rapper needs help in the form of spiritual and mental counseling.

Rhymefest quit working with Kanye about a month ago – an odd time to leave given that the rapper just debuted his new album, “The Life of Pablo,” last Thursday.

Previously, fans assumed Kanye’s bizarre behavior was due to one of two possibilities: A) he’s a jackass or B) he’s grandstanding for publicity.

But when a close colleague goes public and says there may be a deeper problem, well, that’s not something we can ignore.

We most certainly do not have a team of psychiatrists here at THG, but the likelihood of a personality disorder does not seem so far-fetched.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder is recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and lists the following symptoms: 

• Having an exaggerated sense of self-importance


• Expecting to be recognized as superior even without achievements that warrant it


• Exaggerating your achievements and talents


• Being preoccupied with fantasies about success, power, brilliance, beauty or the perfect mate


• Believing that you are superior and can only be understood by or associate with equally special people


• Requiring constant admiration


• Having a sense of entitlement


• Expecting special favors and unquestioning compliance with your expectations


• Taking advantage of others to get what you want


• Having an inability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others


• Being envious of others and believing others envy you


• Behaving in an arrogant or haughty manner

Again, we are in NO position to provide an actual diagnosis, but the points above appear to describe Kanye’s public persona to a T.

We’ve all had experience with narcissists in our life, but Kanye’s behavior – from publicly trashing other artists and ex-girlfriends to pumping up his ego with outrageous claims of genius – seems beyond normal standards. 

Earlier today, Kanye took to Twitter to announce he was $ 53 million in debt and asked for a $ 1 billion loan from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to support “the greatest artist of all time.”

Kate Middleton Launches Children"s Mental Health Week, Speaks Candidly With Students

Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge has been an advocate for the well-being of children since becoming a royal patron of Place2Be, a charity that provides emotional and therapeutic services in schools to help build children"s confidence and coping skills.

Today, Catherine launched Children"s Mental Health Week, an initiative that she hopes will eradicate the stigma attached to mental health through education and awareness.

To highlight her cause, Catherine sat with a few students to talk about how Place2Be has helped them work through personal issues they face.

In addition to this, Catherine will act as guest editor for the Huffington Post UK on February 17th to launch #YoungMindsMatter, aimed at discussing "problems, causes and also most importantly the solutions to the stigma surrounding the UK"s mental health crisis among children," according to Huff Po.

"Under guidance from Kensington Palace, my team has been working on a series of original articles, blogs and videos commissioned by the Duchess," UK editor-in-chief Stephen Hull wrote on February 3rd.

"They all aim to inspire families and teachers to lead the conversation with children about mental health, so youngsters feel loved, valued and listened to."

This is the first time Catherine has partnered with a media outlet, a somewhat unprecedented move for a member of the royal family.  

Generally, the press is kept at an arm"s length, but the partnership symbolizes the British monarchy"s willingness to embrace the changing times and use social media to its advantage.