Celebrities Speak up for World Mental Health Day

Using their platform for all the right reasons, these role models are spreading awareness for mental illness.

While once taboo discussions on mental health are slowly becoming louder, they’re still not loud enough. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in five US adults experiences mental health issues each year, while only a mere 43.3% of that group actually seek the help they need. With numbers rapidly increasing, it’s vital, now more than ever, that we amplify the dialogue surrounding these illnesses. Each year on October 10, we honor World Mental Health Day in an effort to raise awareness on various psychological and emotional issues across the globe and mobilize efforts in support of suicide prevention.

This year, several celebrities are spreading messages in support of the cause and speaking up about their personal battles with mental health, making strides towards reversing the stigma of silence on these issues. As role models and icons to many, their vulnerability in sharing their own struggle is both appreciated and imperative in inspiring change. Take a look at what a few celebrities had to say about #WorldMentalHealthDay below.

After a fan tweeted that she was putting therapy on hold for “Harry Styles 2” and the pop star’s tour, Styles himself took to responding to raise awareness for the importance of mental illness. Placing psychological health at the forefront of his priorities, Styles insisted that he will wait while the fan attends therapy and ended his tweet with #WorldMentalHealth.

Sam Smith shared an original poem to Instagram about his personal experiences with mental illness to both ensure his fans that they are not alone in their struggles and instill hope that those feelings do not last forever. Alluding to a point in time where he had trouble breathing after a performance and needed to abruptly fly home, Smith discusses some of his darkest moments in an effort to spread awareness for mental illness.

 

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Myself and Prince Harry, want to ensure that not just today but every day, you look after yourself, your friends and those around you. There’s no need to suffer in silence – share how you’re feeling, ask how someone is doing and listen for the answer, be willing to ask for help when you need it, and know that we are all in this together Check out the accounts below for more resources and support – @Heads_Together @Calmzone @MentalHealthFoundation @CharityNoPanic @SamaritansCharity @YoungMindsUK @GiveUsAShoutInsta @Childline_official @LetsTalkAboutMentalHealth @Jedfoundation @Pandas_UK @Charitysane @MindCharity @TimeToChangeCampaign @RethinkMentalIllness @MentalHealthMates @ActionHappiness @MHFAEngland @DitchTheLabel @TheBlurtFoundation

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Ed Sheeran and Prince Harry have both been avid spokespeople on the topics of depression and anxiety, so it only made sense that the duo decided to team up to promote World Mental Health Day in a comical video. As two of the most prominent redheads across pop culture, the two poked fun at their ginger identities before leading into a serious note advising people to take care of each other and speak up about mental health. Sheeran shared a multitude of resources in the caption of the post where people can seek help for themselves, learn more about the intricacies of mental illness, and donate to research on the subject.

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