Mental Health is Treatable – Recovery is Just Around The Corner

A big hurdle for a lot of people with poor mental health, is not believing that they can be helped in the first place. I have heard so many times ‘you can’t help me, nobody can know what I’m going through’. Believe me there are many going through mental anguish. It has become the modern plague.

That does not mean it is untreatable. A vast majority come through the other side stronger and more able to cope with life. Indeed many have stated that after recovering from bouts of mental illness the small pleasures in life are greatly enhanced.

Depression, anxiety, eating disorders and addictions don’t siscriminate

When it comes to depressive disorders, anxiety attacks, eating disorders or addiction there is no class distinction. All walks of life can be struck down at any time. Some in the prime of life and at the height of their career, for no apparent reason, crash and burn.

Take heart that there is light at the end of the tunnel. You don’t need to be rich and famous to get through the dark times. Yes, a lot of celebs have the money to go to expensive rehabs and have endless hours with high end therapists.

But I will let you into a little secret, the treatment is usually the same regardless of the hourly rate. Talk is cheap they say, unless you’re an A list star of course.

Depression and anxiety strike the comfortably well off as well as the poor. Statistically, low income areas suffer more but you may be surprised to know the wealthy have their problems to.

Celebrity status brings its own grief

The list of stars with mental health problems is quite staggering. Because of the spotlight they live in, their stories are known. The big up side is the vast majority cope. Here’s a couple stories to make the point.

Take Christina Ricci child star and pin up for a generation. She suffered for years with anorexia and bouts of depression. Hollywood is a cruel mistress and while all adolescents suffer body image issues the industry pushes harder.

‘You’re a little big round the middle’ and the ‘gaunt look is in’ does not help a teenager. What did help, and in a big way, was support from a loved one in the form of a mother devoted to her child. Christina has coped with her issues with the help of her mother and they have remained extremely close. An irony for Christina is that a very big payday was a film called Prozac Nation.

The ‘Girls’ star Lena Dunham has had long term anxiety problems. She has openly admitted that over 16 years of medication struggled to deal with her issues. She discovered another form of therapy, exercise. This may not help everybody but for Lena it worked. She has stopped taking medication and highly recommends sufferers of OCD, depression and anxiety problems to give it a try.

Many A list celebs have done stints in rehab clinics for alcohol and substance abuse. Colin Farrell spent 6 weeks in one. Therapy takes many forms, gardening, exercise, long walks in the countryside can all help. Talking to a professional is the first step.