I'm campaigning to encourage young people to talk about mental health openly, to break down the stigma of mental illness.
Celebrities have a big impact on our society and have a particularly large influence on young people. Many showbiz stars have spoken about their own mental illnesses. I hope that by highlighting these, it will encourage other people to do the same.
Tulisa Contostavlos is best known for being in N-Dubz and now for her role as judge on The X Factor.
While growing up, she was a carer for her mum... who was sectioned in psychiatric care when Tulisa was five. Her mother suffers from bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder.
Tulisa said, "I used to dread my mum getting better and coming home because it would mean I'd have to leave my aunt's house where I felt safe and happy and normal, and go back to living with someone whose mood could change as quick as flicking a switch. We lived in a tiny one-bedroom flat so there was nowhere to escape to whenever my mum became ill."
Tulisa says she became depressed as a teenager and started drinking because the only future she could see was "more of the same. My life felt like a living hell and I couldn't see any escape".
At 14, she attempted suicide by overdosing and 3 years after, she slit her wrists; "They started bleeding really badly and the more blood I saw, the more I panicked because I realised what I was actually doing to myself."
Tulisa spent almost a year living with her father and she started getting her life back on track. As for her mother, "they completely re-evaluated her case and she was diagnosed as having both bipolar and schizophrenia. Now she takes drugs to combat both. She's good at taking them and for the most part she has been stable."
On The X Factor, Tulisa broke down when Michelle (31, from County Kildare) said that she never gave up on her dream of singing despite having 4 children. Tulisa told her she reminded her of her mum and said, “She had the most powerful voice and never did anything with it. She had me, she became unwell and then she spent her life still singing in the kitchen. I wish she’d got up and done that because she has a voice just like that.”
Tulisa has spoken openly about her experiences and tried to raise awareness by filming an hour long documentary about her story called 'My Mum and Me'. I would really recommend watching it, it's really interesting and conveys a really important message.
Tulisa is at a higher risk than most of developing a mental illness due to her genes but she says, 'I believe a lot of it comes down to how strong you are mentally. I have been through a lot for someone my age but it has made me strong and determined and I have to pray that is enough for me not to suffer the way my mum has. No matter what has happened, I love my mum. She is happy for my success and I feel that for the first time in years I can have a more relaxed relationship with her."
Fellow X Factor judge, Gary Barlow, has also spoken openly about how he suffered from depression after Take That split up. "I was living in Cheshire at the time, going to London and back on the train. I used to disguise myself, with a hat and everything. I was overweight, I wasn’t feeling great. I was embarrassed to be me, to have people recognise me". Gary said he was so full of hatred for himself he starting over-eating on purpose.
After Take That's amazing comeback and since becoming Head Judge on The X Factor... Gary has never been more popular. Viewers are reported to say that he is a perfect replacement for Simon Cowell. Gary said "I know it’s not going to last forever, but I’m in a great place."
Most recently, Coronation Street star Helen Flanagan has started talking mental when she admitted to having panic attacks. Talking about it for first time, she says, “I have recently suffered a few panic attacks. As anyone who has ever suffered from them knows, they are very scary. I did have one at work and everyone was very understanding but I didn’t know what might have caused it. I am trying to work out what triggers them so that I can start to deal with them and move forward. But I am starting to realise that they are more common than people think and that there are ways of dealing with them.”
Frank Bruno was the last person people thought could have a mental illness, which is why this is such an important cause.
In 2003, Bruno was taken from his home in Essex by medical staff assisted by police officers, under the provisions of the Mental Health Act. He had been suffering from depression for several months and was later diagnosed as having bipolar disorder. But media coverage of Bruno's problems raised controversy. Particular criticism was aimed at The Sun, whose headline in the first editions the next day read "Bonkers Bruno Locked Up".
Frank says, "At first it was hard being in that hospital. It was like being in prison. But being sectioned was the best thing that ever happened to me. After I came out of hospital, people would cross the road rather than walk past me in the street. It made me realise there is still a stigma attached to mental health."
"Mental illness can happen to anybody. It could be your dad, your brother or your aunt. People need to have compassion for others. It's not shameful to have a nervous breakdown."
There is still huge prejudice around the subject. I believe people should share the attitude of these celebrities... without having to go through their experiences beforehand. We need to start talking mental to raise awareness of these issues and end discrimination!
