Celebrities may live life a bit differently, but when it comes to mental health, they’re more like us than we might think.

Depression has affected the lives of many infamous celebrities and some have had the courage to publicly speak about their struggles to create awareness around the lonely disease.

You’ll be surprised to see that some of your favorite stars like Lady Gaga and Dwayne Johnson have been through the darkest times.

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga is an icon in the music world with her hits like “Paparazzi” and “Poker Face”. Looking from the outside you would never assume Gaga has had any struggles in her life, but it turns out she endured both anxiety and depression her entire life.

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Gaga even takes medication to help with her depression and she felt embarrassed to open up about it. During her interview with Billboard magazine, she finally felt confident in sharing her experience and insisted that everyone opening up creates a strong with people all around the world.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

Dwayne Johnson has risen in his career to become one of the richest actors in Hollywood. Also, known as “The Rock,” Dwayne told British newspaper Express about his struggles. Johnson was only 15 years old when he saw his mother try to take her own life in front of him.

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Johnson saved her but it left a big impact on his life. Dwayne has had depression since this troubling experience and has finally opened up about it. The rock wants to motivate other men to realize that they are not alone and that opening up doesn’t make them look weak.

Katy Perry

While many celebs have only spoken to a therapist about their struggles, Katy Perry does things differently. The star opened up on YouTube with a 96-hour Livestream discussion about her depression experiences. Perry had an impactful chat with the host of Viceland’s show The Therapist, Siri Sat Nam Singh.

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Perry and the host Siri spoke about her depression and she shared all her struggles to create awareness that she is just a normal person with feelings. Katy hopes that it will help the world realize everyone should have big dreams regardless of how they feel.

Jim Carrey

The comedian and actor would be the last person people would think has depression. Sadly, depression has no preference and anyone can be a victim of the illness no matter how glamorous their life may seem. Carrey has portrayed many iconic roles over the years such as The Grinch and Ace Ventura but while he’s busy making everyone laugh, Carrey is going through a dark time.

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Since his depression, Carrey has decided to live a spiritual and clean lifestyle. He told 60 Minutes his new motto means avoiding anything that can influence him, like caffeine, alcohol, or drugs because it affects the way he sees life. Carrey claims that antidepressants saved him from his depression.

Kirsten Dunst

If you’ve ever watched the original Spiderman you’ll probably recognize the famous actress. The 39-year-old star has openly shared her views and experiences with depression. Dunst suggests that when you know you need help, you need to get it as soon as possible and not dwell on it.

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Throughout her 20s, Dunst struggled with depression and even went to a rehab center for support. Kirsten knew that she kept a lot of her feelings and anger inside instead of letting them out and at first she didn’t want to admit it, but medication saved her.

Jon Hamm

Jon Hamm is well known for playing the role of Don Draper in Mad Men. His character Don Draper has a tough time carrying all the weight of his past and Hamm was able to relate to this. Hamm has shared his experience with depression, which took over him after his father passed away back when he was still studying.

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Hamm had an interview with InStyle magazine and expressed the importance of getting professional help such as a therapist. Hamm wants people to understand that showing your struggles does not make you weak, it makes you a stronger person in the end.

Robin Williams

The death of the famous award-winning actor and comedian Robin Williams had the world in tears. It was no secret that Williams was suffering from depression and substance abuse for many years but when he took his own life in 2014, everyone realized just how much pain he must’ve been in.

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Not only was Williams struggling with depression but he also had Parkinson and possibly dementia as well. In 2006, Williams spoke to NPR’s radio host Terry Gross and said he had endured highs and lows throughout his career and the sad times hit him hard.

Kristen  Bell

Kristen Bell is a beloved actress and you may recognize her voice in the character of Anna from Disney’s Frozen. The actress may seem like a bubbly and positive person, but what doesn’t meet the eye is that the star has been struggling with depression since college.

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Bell spoke about her depression for the website Motto. In the article, they mention Bell’s views on mental illness and how she wants people to move away from the stigma that it is a flaw. Bell is determined to show people that depression does not mean that you are weak.

Bruce Springsteen

Throughout his 60s, Bruce Springsteen had a dark time and struggled with mental illness. Springsteen felt like many of his years were taken by the illness and he told CBS Sunday Morning what it felt like to be depressed. Springsteen expressed how difficult it was to get out of bed but he tried to not let it interfere with his work and his marriage.

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His work and his marriage were his motivation to pull through. His wife, Patti Scialfa, was supportive and loving and told him it was okay to not be okay. With the help of his wife along with therapy and medication, he saw the light at the end of the tunnel.

Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow is an Academy award-winning actress and had the strength to publicly share her experience of postpartum depression. The depression that comes after birth does not get enough attention and Gwyneth struggled for five months after her baby boy, Moses, was born.

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For five months, Paltrow felt like a walking zombie with no feelings according to Good Housekeeping in 2011. The actress was unable to feel emotion or connect with the people around her. Along with postpartum depression, she also went through clinical depression after losing her dad in 2002.

Michael Phelps

The Olympic swimmer, Michael Phelps, had a mental health dip in 2004. Phelps has won 28 medals but not even all the success can distract someone from their depression. Phelps mentioned to CNN his worst struggles being in 2012 just after the Olympic Games.

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Phelps felt alone and isolated himself from the world in his room for nearly five day. Michael felt like life was pointless and lost his will to be alive over those few days so he finally admitted he needed to get help. Phelps found support and life became better after his realization that it was normal to not always be okay.

Ashley Judd

The actress from Kiss the Girls, Ashley Judd, never had the easiest childhood. She would even say it was “dysfunctional”. Growing up, Ashley was very insecure and always separated herself from the people in her life which made her feel lonely and sad for most of her life even continuing into adulthood.

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When Ashley finally made the decision to get treatment, she checked herself in back in 2006 and things started looking better. Judd told Glamour magazine that she was hurt for many years until she accepted that she needed help.

Ryan Phillippe

The actor Ryan Phillippe from Cruel Intentions claims he has been struggling with depression for most of his life since he was a child. Phillippe told Elle magazine that over the years, his depression has become easier but he admits that he has always just been considered a “sad person” regardless.

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Even though depression can make life difficult and affect your career and relationships, Phillippe wouldn’t let it stop him from reaching his goals. The actor has pushed through and shined on the screen over the years, recently in the TV show Secrets and Lies. That’s the spirit!

J.K Rowling

J.K Rowling has to be one of the most famous names in the world as the legendary Harry Potter books will never be unpopular. While her stories are magical and have brought wondrous feelings for many people, they couldn’t bring joy to her.

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J.K Rowling took inspiration from her mental health problems when she thought of the Dementors for her novels. The Dementors are soul-sucking figures in the Harry Potter novels. Rowling told Oprah Winfrey in 2010, people without depression won’t understand the feeling because it’s not as simple as “feeling sad”.

Buzz Aldrin

Buzz Aldrin, also known as a man who’s walked on the moon, was followed by his depression. You would think walking on the moon would make you the happiest person alive, but sadly, this wasn’t the case for Buzz. the astronaut became famous in 1969 when he landed on the moon with Neil Armstrong. However, after his triumph came separation from his wife along with alcohol abuse and depression.

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Buzz shared with The New York Times that depression runs in his family as both his mother and grandfather also struggled with it. Heartbreakingly, both his mother and grandfather took their own lives because of the illness. Aldrin took a different route by finding the courage to fight it and became chairman of the National Mental Health Association.

Naomi Judd

Naomi Judd, the country music singer, had what she refers to as “life-threatening depression”. Judd told ABC News and WebMD’s Robin Roberts about her struggles in 2010. The singer mentioned that she would lock herself up at home for weeks at a time and refuse to wear anything except her pajamas. Basic things such as showering weren’t even on her mind while she was suffering from her mental illness.

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Naomi decided to write the book River of Time: My Descent into Depression and How I Emerged with Hope. Her book focuses on what she went through and how she lived through her dark times. The book’s purpose is to make people aware that they are not alone and they can also get through their depression.

Terry Bradshaw

Terry Bradshaw is no stranger to the world of sports, Bradshaw is the NFL Hall of Famer and well-known football commentator. Terry was diagnosed with depression only towards the late 90s but he is convinced that he was suffering from depression for most of his life.

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Bradshaw has opened to the world about his struggles and aims to help other men feel like they can get the support they need. The football commentator wants to get rid of the stigma and told the Chicago Tribune that he plans to promote strength and courage to people with mental illnesses.

Sheryl Crow

Sheryl Crow, the singer who has won a Grammy award nine times, has also faced depression. While depression was a tough time for Crow, she had no idea it would only be the first of her struggles. After her depression, the singer still faced breast cancer and a benign brain tumor. That’s one strong woman.

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In 2014, Crow openly shared with The Telegraph that she could trace back her depression to when she was young. The singer mentioned that she started playing the piano just in an attempt to try to feel emotions.

Wayne Brady

If there’s something we can learn from Wayne Brady, it’s that even the happiest-looking people can be suffering on the inside. The comedian has been showing a brave face to the world for a long time. However, what people don’t see is that he has been in deep pain down all along.

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In 2014, Brady spoke about his depression to Entertainment Tonight stating that there were dark days when he didn’t even want to go anywhere or move. Brady wanted to create awareness about depression being just as easy to speak about as having a drug problem.

Tipper Gore

The former vice president’s wife was once taken over with grief and sadness when she was the second lady. If someone as high up as Gore can admit she needed help, then anyone can. Gore nearly lost her son to a car accident and after the event, it left her feeling depressed until she realized it was time to take control of her life again.

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Gore went and received treatment and now wants to create awareness of the benefits of taking care of your mental health. Gore mentioned in USA Today how medication and therapy were the way forward for her so people shouldn’t be afraid to take that step.

Abraham Lincoln

Depression is not an illness that only appeared recently, in fact, even our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, struggled with the disease. Lincoln once said that if everyone could feel what it was like, no one would ever have a smile on their face.

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Lincoln turned to friends and family to help him through the tough times and told a law partner in 1841 that he didn’t know if the illness would ever stop. Along with Lincoln, other infamous historical individuals like Ernest Hemingway, Winston Churchill, Sigmund Freud, and General William T. Sherman all suffered from the illness as well.

Up next, read about 20 celebrities that struggled during their childhood years and decided to change their destiny.