Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. experiences a mental illness in a given year, which is kind of, you know, a lot. And yet, even with its startling prevalence, there’s still a stigma that keeps many sufferers from talking about it openly. The shame that surrounds mental illness can be crippling, and is powerful enough to prevent someone from seeking help, so this conversation is an extremely important one.
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As a society, we’re presented with a certain stereotype of what a person with mental illness might look like, and rarely is that an image of a beloved celebrity or public figure—or at the very least, someone who seems to have their shit together. But mental illness is just that: mental. It rarely manifests in the physical, so we can’t always tell when someone is struggling, and nobody is immune. Ahead, 17 celebs who have smashed stereotypes by bravely coming forth with their struggles, proving that we all need a little help from time to time.
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