Celebs Getting Real About Anxiety and Depression

In recent days, we've seen some famous people share their struggles with mental illness.  Carson Daly went public about his anxiety disorder and panic attacks.  Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson shared that he's suffered from depression.  Actresses like Drew Barrymore and Hayden Panetierre have talked about their post-partum depression.  And supermodel Cara Delavigne has admitted she was suicidal at one point in her life.

I sense the tide is turning and I'm happy about that.  What I mean is, celebrities are letting us see them as human, with real struggles.  After decades of seeing everyone Photoshopped and seemingly perfect, it's refreshing to see famous folks admit they are mortals like the rest of us.

Young girls are starving themselves to look like the women on magazine covers.  They are bombarded by Instagram images of flawless skin, perfect teeth, and trim physiques.  They are trying to live up to an unrealistic standard of beauty.

So I'm thrilled to hear what CVS is doing.  They've committed to not Photoshop the beauty imagery they make for their store signs and marketing materials.  They're not going to digitally alter a person's shape or size or reduce a person's wrinkles.

Efforts like that will expose us to authentic looking people.  The famous names sharing stories about their mental health are helping to remove the stigma that keeps a lot of people from seeking help.

Just as I shared my secret about the eyebrow pulling disorder that I have, I'm hopeful that other people will get real and let audiences see them, "warts and all."  The more we see people being authentic and imperfect, the more we can embrace diversity and show compassion for each other.  And the more we'll be comfortable talking about formerly taboo topics.  The need for these open conversations was highlighted in Kevin's blog from Tuesday.

Are you glad that more and more celebrities are revealing their mental health issues?  Or would you rather they keep their struggles to themselves?