Silent No More! 22 Celebrities Who Have Battled Depression

With the sudden, shocking death of Robin Williams the condition that no one really wants to talk about is coming out into the open – depression. But the late comedian isn’t the only celebrity who has suffered with the condition. Here is a list of other stars who have bravely – and openly admitted – their mental health challenges.

In 2011 it was revealed that Catherine Zeta-Jones had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder II. Formerly known as manic depression, bipolar disorder II causes sufferers to see their moods swing from periods of manic highs to crippling bouts of sadness. In 2012, the Oscar-winner told In Style magazine: “With my bipolar becoming public, I hope fellow suffers will know it is completely controllable.”

Carrie Fisher has openly discussed her battle with bipolar disorder for years. In 2013 the Star Wars actress was briefly hospitalized after she, in her words, “went completely off the rails.” Fisher told People she was in a “severe manic state” bordering on “psychosis” around the time she was filmed ranting during a cruise ship performance.

In an interview with Cosmopolitan for Latinas, Demi Lovato – another bipolar sufferer – revealed how she handles the condition. She said: “I treat it with medication. Not everybody does that, but for me it works.”

When it comes to talking about mental health, Richard Dreyfuss is not shy. The “Jaws” actor, who also is bipolar, told People in 2013: “There’s no shame in having depression.”

Actor Stephen Fry is a champion of mental health causes in his native Britain. In addition to winning an Emmy for his BBC documentary “The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive”, he is the president of the U.K. charity, Mind. In 2013 Fry – another sufferer of bipolar disorder – revealed he had attempted suicide the year before.

In a 2010 interview with U.K. newspaper “The Observer,” Jon Hamm revealed he had a bout of chronic depression when he was 20 following his father’s death. The “Mad Men” star who confessed he was “in bad shape” at the time, had therapy and took antidepressants for a “brief period.”

Motor-mouth British comedian and former heroin addict Russell Brand has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and bipolar disorder. He also suffered from bulimia and used to self-harm.

Angelina Jolie has openly discussed her bouts of teenage depression that caused her self-harming. In 2004 she told Allure magazine: “I had that problem early on when I couldn’t feel a bond with another human being.”

Brooke Shields faced the wrath of Tom Cruise when she openly discussed taking medication to cope with postpartum depression. In a 2005 New York Times piece she wrote: “In a strange way, it was comforting to me when my obstetrician told me that my feelings of extreme despair and…suicidal thoughts were directly tied to a biochemical shift in my body.”

For Ashley Judd depression has been a life-long battle. In her 2011 memoir, “All That Is Bitter & Sweet” she revealed she had suicidal thoughts when she was in sixth grade. In 2006 she spent 42 days in a rehab clinic to treat her depression, later telling People magazine, “I would have died without it.”

For some whether or not she killed herself in 1962 is still open for debate. What isn’t debatable is the fact that Marilyn Monroe had psychiatric problems – something she discussed openly when she was alive. In addition to borderline personality disorder she was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder

So you think Amy Winehouse’s hit song Rehab was purely about the singer drinking too much? Think again. In a 2006 interview with Britain’s Album Chart Show, she spoke about the single saying it was about being in a “real dark place.” Admitting she was a “manic depressive,” she said she told the doctor in rehab her drinking was “symptomatic of her depression.”

Kurt Cobain is another member of the infamous 27 Club who, like Amy Winehouse, had bipolar disorder. Bev Cobain – the singer’s cousin – once said the Nirvana front man who killed himself in 1994 had been diagnosed with the condition. In an interview with HealthDay.com she said he knew the illness could be “difficult to manage.”

In 2011 Gwyneth Paltrow opened up to Good Housekeeping about her battle with postpartum depression. Explaining that she “couldn’t access my emotions,” she said: “I thought postpartum depression meant you were sobbing every single day and incapable of looking after a child. But there are different shades and depths of it.”

Reality TV star Kendra Wilkinson was another young mom who was sideswiped when she was hit with postnatal depression after having her first baby Hank Jr. She told People: “It got pretty bad, but not to the point where I would harm my family.”

In a 2011 interview with Arizona’s ABC 15 rapper DMX opened up about his bipolar diagnosis and his difficulties separating his rap persona from himself, Earl Simmons. He said: “I used to be really clear on who was what and what characteristics each personality had but I don’t know. At this point I’m not even sure if there is a difference.”

In a 2011 interview with Piers Morgan on CNN, Larry Flynt discussed bipolar disorder. The porn mogul, who has the condition, said: “A lot of people don't want to take treatment because to them that's…conceding that they've got a mental illness and…they don't want the stigma associated to it. But the best thing in the world that you can do if you're bipolar is get treated.”

If you didn’t know Sinead O’Connor had a mental illness beforehand, you definitely did after her Twitter war with Miley Cyrus last year. The Irish singer – another bipolar sufferer – was enraged when the Hannah Montana star mockingly compared her to actress Amanda Bynes who had a breakdown. O’Connor demanded Cyrus “publicly apologize to Amanda Bynes and myself and all mental health sufferers…”

In 2009 Pete Wentz told U.K. magazine Live: “While I’ll always be bipolar, I find it easier to deal with now.” At the time the Fall Out Boy bassist – who attempted suicide in 2005 – was married to Ashlee Simpson with whom he has a son, Bronx.

Yes, Scarlett O’Hara had bipolar disorder – or, at least, the actress who played her did. Vivien Leigh had the misfortune of suffering from the illness before the modern drugs now used to stabilize the condition. She was frequently given electric shock treatment to help calm her moods, which swung between hypersexuality and irritability on one side and crippling depression on the other.

Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln were two men who led their respective countries during times of crisis despite having severe depression. Churchill – who was the British Prime Minister during World War II – called his bouts of sadness the “black dog.” Meanwhile Lincoln, who had a lifelong struggle with clinical depression, had a nervous breakdown in his youth.