Celebrity Sensitivity

Cheers star Shelley Long has checked into a psych hospital after an ongoing bout with depression. Her latest trigger? Her husband filed for divorce after 22 years. No doubt, that’d be enough to put me in a psych hospital.

Actress Emma Thompson has admitted to struggling with depression as well. The Daily Mail reports that “due in part to her attempts to have children, she has been left so depressed that she could not wash herself or change clothes.” According the playfuls.com article, “Thompson told the newspaper that she has found an effective way to balance herself emotionally.” I wish she would have elaborated what that effective way was to enlighten the rest of us.

In shocking celebrity news – get the idea when I say “shocking,” I’m being sarcastic – Britney Spears has been rumored to be popping psych meds for fun. She has been seen popping Xanax and Paxil. To top it off, she’s also been seen drinking after taking the pills. Anybody with a brain knows that mixing alcohol with an antidepressant and an anti-anxiety medication is a no-no. But we never said Britney had a brain, did we?

In more upbeat and better celeb news, Patty Duke is being honored for her efforts for bringing more awareness to mental illness. Patty Duke’s struggle with mental illness first came to my attention when my psychiatrist recommended that I obtain her autobiography that deals specifically with mental illness, A Brilliant Madness. I haven’t read it yet, but once I do, I’ll be sure to post a review.

Remember those “No Fear” T-shirts that were EVERYWHERE in the 1990s? Well, the creator, Marty Moates has apparently committed suicide. Like what I struggle with, I wish his fearlessness had kept him alive instead of bringing him to death.

Finally, in another sad story, Andre Waters, who killed himself last month, actually DID struggle with depression. Family and acquaintances cite a tough child custody battle and his inability to break into the NFL as a coach as a few of the reasons that led him to battle with a severe depression. In outpatient treatment, I knew of a woman who was going through a tough child custody battle with her ex and felt like she had no hope of obtaining custody if she didn’t have a good lawyer. Child custody battles can be some of the most emotionally draining and depressing experiences in a person’s life. It’s sad that the justice system is more based on who has the best lawyer instead of who is more capable of taking better care of the children.