Halle Berry made public a past suicide attempt.
As a woman in Hollywood, living in a world where image is everything, she had the courage to come forward with her story.
Berry, one of the most beautiful women in the world, felt so depressed and alienated that she almost took her life.
So if Berry, who appears to have everything in the world, is susceptible to depression, then certainly the rest of us are as well.
I’m glad to see that mental health has been getting more attention in recent years. Last year, Brooke Shields spoke out about her experiences with post-partum depression. A few years ago, Tipper Gore shared her struggles with depression. The more coverage depression gets, the more accepting people will become.
Depression continues to be a taboo topic, though. There’s a stigma associated with depression and its treatment. But depression is like any other natural sickness. If you came down with the flu, then wouldn’t you get treatment? So why should depression be any different?
For some reason, people have this idea that we should be happy all the time. As a result, it’s wrong to get depressed. But everybody struggles sometimes. Berry explained how she struggles with self esteem and even body image. It’s reassuring to know that such a beautiful and accomplished woman can struggle with self image.
Every time someone asks us how we’re doing, we have a tendency to immediately utter an expected reply of “fine,” whether we are or not.
We feel as though we’re going to be a burden on someone else when we tell the truth and admit we’re not having a good day.
But bottling up emotions is not healthy. It is OK to confide in our friends about our problems. Sometimes just talking to someone else about what’s wrong is all the therapy we need to get through a tough time.
There are some instances when even our friends may not be able to help us. I had a roommate whose mom died. For weeks she couldn’t get out of bed or even go to class. She didn’t want to go to a counselor because according to her, she wasn’t crazy. The longer she went without getting help the more withdrawn she became.
When she finally sought help from a counselor and began taking the proper medication, I could see a dramatic and visible change in her. She still had her bad days, but at least afterward she was able to function again. Sometimes circumstances beyond our control are difficult to cope with, and we do need the extra help.
I hope discussions on mental health continue to increase. There’s no fault in receiving counseling or therapy. The fault lies in ignoring the need for help. I think it’s also important to regularly discuss our feelings with our friends and family. Sometimes talking to people who care about us can be a great form of therapy.
Only venting our feelings can help release built-up tension.
The mind needs treatment just like the rest of the body. So take care of yourself … your whole self.
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