Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of self-harm and suicidal ideation.

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, 49% of people—yes, almost half—who have felt symptoms of depression and anxiety never seek medical help. In any given year, one in five Canadians will experience a mental-health problem, and by age 40, about 50% of the population will have or have had a mental illness.

So why aren’t we talking about this more? The taboo around speaking openly about mental illness still exists, although campaigns like Bell Let’s Talk and Opening Minds (established by the Mental Heath Commission of Canada) are working to eradicate it.

Celebs who get candid about their own mental-health struggles also help chip away at the stigma. From Meghan Markle talking about the toll of media scrutiny on her mental-health to Kanye West opening up about being diagnosed as bipolar, here are the figures who have shared their own deeply personal experiences in the name of raising awareness, eliminating stigma and helping us all feel a little less alone.

Celebrities speaking out about mental health

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(Photo: Instagram/@katyperry)

Katy Perry

In a June 26 interview with SiriusXM’s CBC Radio One, Katy Perry opened up about her past struggles with mental health. Talking about the period in 2017 after she and now-fiancé Orlando Bloom briefly split up and when Perry suffered a mild career setback with the release of her album Witness, the singer revealed that she struggled with her mental health, and had suicidal thoughts. 

“I had broken up with my boyfriend, who is now my baby daddy-to-be and then I was excited about flying high off the next record,” she said of that time. “But the validation did not make me high, and so I just crashed.”

Talking about getting through that period of time, Perry said: “Gratitude is probably the thing that saved my life because if I did not find that I would have wallowed in my own sadness and probably just jumped. But I found the ways to be grateful. If it gets really, really hard I walk around and say, ‘I am grateful, I am grateful!’ even though I am in a shitty mood.”

If you or someone you know is struggling, contact Crisis Services Canada at 1-833-456-4566, find a 24/7 Crisis Centre via the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention or reach out to a resource in your province:

British Columbia: Province-Wide Mental Health Support Line (24/7 hotline: 310-6789) | Alberta: Distress Centre Calgary (24/7 hotline: 403-266-4357) | Saskatchewan: Prince Albert Mobile Crisis Unit (24/7 hotline: 306-764-1011) | Manitoba: Manitoba Reason to Live (24/7 hotline: 1-877-435-7170) | Ontario: Connex Ontario (24/7 hotline: 1-866-531-2600) | Quebec: The Quebec Association for Suicide Prevention (24/7 hotline: 866-277-3553) | New Brunswick: Chimo Helpline (24/7 hotline: 450-4357) | Nova Scotia: Mental Health Mobile Crisis Team (24/7 hotline: 1-888-429-8167) | Prince Edward Island: Island Helpline (24/7 hotline: 1-800-218-2885) | Newfoundland: Mental Health Crisis Line (24/7 hotline: 1-888-737-4668) | Northwest Territories: NWT Help Line (24/7 hotline: 1-800-661-0844)

Read this next: My Mental Health Issues Are Helping Me Through Self-Isolation

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