Pop Culture and Depression
From the time of Hollywood´s iconic actress Marilyn Monroe, events have shown how the celebrity life whilst seemingly glamorous bears a façade on the reality of the behind-the-camera experience of TV and entertainment stars. Many at times because of the outrageous and fictitious roles played by movie stars, they are often seen as “gods” whereas they are just like us – humans, with emotions.
Depression is a severe mental problem of extreme loneliness, sadness, low self-esteem or misery that has ransacked the life of many celebs. A study by charity group Help Musicians UK in 2015, on the health and well-being of working musicians at all levels of the business found that mental health issues were a major concern among professional musicians with over 60 percent of respondent dealing with serious psychological issues at some point in their career. Being subjects of public scrutiny, dysfunctional relationships, unrealistic public expectations and emotional or sexual abuse from film or music directors they work with, has made them vulnerable even though they project an image of wealth, glamour and beauty.
With the suicidal death of stars like Lucy Gordon and Lee Thompson Young who stared in the popular TV show, Rizzoli and Isles from depression; pop culture have tried to portray the commonality of celebrity depression with films like Birdman (2014), a black comedy-drama featuring Michael Keaton as a faded Hollywood actor who became known for his superhero role as “Birdman” exploring the themes of identity, ego, and mental health as the character battles with depression and his own sense of self-worth; and also Bollywood hit film, Aashiqui 2 (2013) which tells the life of Rahul Jaykar (played by Aditya Roy Kapur), a successful singer who battles with depression, consequently finding solace in alcohol.
Letitia Wright, star actress of Wakanda Forever (2022) had a say on the topic during the BAFTA Awards of 2019 highlighting that at a certain point she saw herself going deep into depression and considered withdrawing from acting completely but God, her belief, her faith, and her family pulled her out.
In Nollywood, Toyin Abraham, star of films, Ijakumo (2022) and King of Thieves (2022) in an interview with Broadway TV had also spoken out on suffering from depression in the past to the point of taking drugs, smoking, and taking codeine. Recently, Funke Akindele, star of Battle on Buka Street, shared a post on May 24th, 2023 on Twitter “Depression is real. Pls be kind to others…” sparking concerns from her fans, who asked if she was okay.
Apparently, depression is a serious mental issue with no respect of persons.
