Celebrities who have been battling depression

Drew Carey One of Hollywood’s top notch comedians, Drew Carey, known for shows such as The Drew Carey Show and Whose Line Is It Anyway?, too battled severe depression. So much so, that at the age of 18 and in his 20s he even tried committing suicide. He confessed how a life in Hollywood and a celebrity status alienates people and does not allow them to go out and seek help when required.Carey employed self help books to beat his depression.
Jim Carrey Hollywood funnyman Jim Carrey has fought a long and hard battle with depression. The man who delivered rip-roaring laugh riots such as The Mask, Dumb and Dumber among many others, Carrey had a disturbed childhood and used medication to battle since an early age. Of late, the actor has been using spirituality to get a grip of the situation and hold himself together. He is one of the few actors who spoke openly about his depression issues and struggles and helped bring considerable awareness about the illness.
J K Rowling Author of the world renowned Harry Potter series, J K Rowling too battled depression and underwent therapy twice. During the days of her struggle as a single mother, the author tried to commit suicide but snapped out of it in due time. The author used the depressive dark thoughts to create Dementors, creatures that feed on human and wizard happiness. The depression came back to haunt the author when she was at the peak of her fame when her books found unprecedented success. Rowling was then forced to undergo therapy to cope with the pressures of being a celebrity.
Hugh Laurie Actor, singer and comedian, Hugh Laurie, best known as Dr Gregory House from the superhit TV series House, battled severe depression since he was a teenager. The Golden Globe award winner came out in the open about his severe clinical depression and how reading P G Wodehouse saved his life. He is one of the actors who said he regretted coming out in the open about his depression as it gave the issue more importance than it deserved, in his life.
Drew Barrymore Celebrated actress Drew Barrymore who literally grew up under the media glare, is another celebrity who battled severe depression. A dysfunctional family and an alcohol and drugs problem in her youth pushed her towards depression and rehab at the tender age of 13 and a suicide attempt before she turned 15. The actress resorted to therapy and severe motivation and grit to tide over the depression.
Owen Wilson Wedding Crashers and Bottle Rockets star Owen Wilson, one of the brightest young stars of Hollywood tried to commit suicide in 2007. The actor who decided to end his life by slitting his wrists was also battling drug addiction other than depression. The actor took a 11-week-break to overcome his issues.
Harrison Ford The Indiana Jones star was often beaten and bullied as a child. Ford, who preferred the idea of non-violence never hit back in return. The bottled up aggression led him to severe depression, the signs of which became visible during his college years. Ford used the medium of theatre to overcome his mood swings and negative thoughts.
Billy Joel Ace musician Billy Joel has found equal coverage for his music as for his bouts of depression and how he struggles with it. While he struggled with depression for years and was in and out of rehab for the same he was hit really hard after the 9/11 catastrophe. Throughout his depressive phase, Joel took to alcohol as a medicine to help him out. A terrorist attack and a break-up immersed him severely in depression from which he sprang out with the help of Malala Yousafzai, whose story of struggle and perseverance inspired him.
Angelina Jolie Jolie suffered depression in her teens and early 20s and also post delivering her twins, Vivienne and Knox. Her mother’s sudden death also pushed her into depression, to overcome which she relied heavily on physical activity. At the peak of her depression, Jolie used to cut herself with sharp objects. Elaborating on this habit, she once said, “For some reason, the ritual of having cut myself and feeling the pain, maybe feeling alive, feeling some kind of release, it was somehow therapeutic to me.”