Celebrities who weren’t afraid to talk about their mental health

According to a study by UFRGS (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul), Brazil is currently experiencing an anxiety epidemic and is among the five countries with the highest incidence of depression in the world. Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) for 2017 are even more alarming. according to the entity, the country has almost 19 million anxious people and just over 11 thousand of depressives. And, of course, the famous are not exempt from entering these statistics.

O incredible.club list for you celebrities who spoke of psychological problems and how they managed to overcome these problems.

The presenter Jô Soares declared in 2007 that with age he ended up developing “some quirks”. Jô has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and this makes him really obsessed with leaving all the paintings in his house slightly tilted to the right. The presenter says that the incorrect position of the board can even hinder his reasoning.

The journalist, who sadly left us in early February in a helicopter crash, has never had a problem talking about his struggle with depression. In 2015, he had an acute depressive episode and was forced to take time off from work for a few weeks. Due to his courage in talking about the subject, Boechat received several recognitions from the Brazilian Association of Psychiatry. “The ABP would like to thank Ricardo Boechat for recognizing his relevance in the treatment of depression, contributing to the correct information of millions of Brazilians through his exemplary performance as a journalist”, says a note on the entity’s website.

The religious declared that depression is devastating and that despite not missing any commitments, he no longer did it out of love, but out of obligation. “I thought it was cool. There were seven months and 22 days of depression. I never thought about suicide, but I did eat without feeling the taste.”

The singer said in an interview that she lost her voice because of depression and that as soon as she got better from the disease, her voice came back. The depression would have started in the 1990s due to fame. She returned to perform after 20 years and says she is renewed.

The TV presenter says that she had postpartum depression when she gave birth to her daughter, Isabella, but explains that she doesn’t really like to talk about it. “I had a beautiful daughter, I was having an incredible time, presenting a program on Saturdays, a wonderful wedding, and I was crying, crying …”, she declared.

Rita said that she lived for a long time without a definite diagnosis and that bothered her: ‘I’ve had this situation of oscillating between euphoria and depression my whole life… When the doctor diagnosed bipolar, I was calm. I said: ‘Finally someone told me what I am’.

The girl who entered the world of fame at age 16 as Paquita do Xou da Xuxa, declared years later that she suffered from OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). The actress wrote a book on the subject, scheduled for release later this year, and criticizes prejudice in relation to psychological problems: “There is no longer any reason to be taboo about it. Everyone in the family has a person with depression, with OCD, bipolar, anxiety. 🇧🇷

The country music diva said she had depression and panic syndrome in her teens. At 17, she had to take a break from her career and even considered changing careers. Paula attributes this problem to the fact that she did not have a normal adolescence, as she was committed to her own career from a very young age.

Thammy declared that he had panic syndrome diagnosed at the age of 15 and, since then, has been following the treatment with prescription drugs. Today he is said to have been cured with the help of Neurolinguistic Programming techniques — NLP.

The actor says he struggled with sudden mood swings until he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He decided to face the problem in 2012 and since then he has been taking medication to control the disorder. “Bipolarity does not appear all of a sudden. You are born or not with it. In fact, this is a characteristic of mine that has never been addressed, ”he declared.

Zizi Possi was diagnosed with depression in 2001 and, only in 2014, was she able to control the problem. The treatment had gardening as a special ingredient, a hobby she is passionate about. “We can find healing and a greater meaning for life through art. That was what really brought happiness to my life,” explained Zizi.

Father Fábio discovered the disease when the plane he was traveling to Fortaleza (CE) was landing. “When the plane touched down, I started to have chest pain, the urge to vomit and shortness of breath. And so I stayed the whole day, with a lot of physical discomfort. And as showtime approached, it intensified. The first impression I had was that I was having a heart attack, that something was physically happening to me”, he says. Admitting the problem and facing it, according to the priest, was essential for the treatment.

The actor still does not feel cured of depression and panic syndrome; he believes that overwork was one of the reasons for the problem, but he is being treated, taking medication and the outbreak phases are in the past. Lucas declared: “It may seem fresh, but it is a very great pain, in addition to the fear of dying.”

The journalist and writer (who is also the wife of Tiago Leifert) declared that she has body dysmorphia, which is a type of eating disorder that combines bulimia with anorexia, in a situation where the person expels the food ingested or simply does not eat anything. She reports that she spent more than two decades with the problem and was diagnosed three years ago. “It took me 20 years to seek medical help. We doubt that he has a disease and that he needs help, “she said.

Mental disorders affect 23 million Brazilians today. They are people who suffer prejudice and who need medical treatment.

If you suspect that a friend or family member has this type of problem, but you don’t recognize it, try to help them.