Believe it or not, celebrities aren’t immune to the ravages of mental illness.
Over the past few years, several celebrities have came forward about suffering from depression, including mega-star Beyoncé, actresses Kerry Washington, Halle Berry, and Gabrielle Union, and now R&B singer Keyshia Cole.
As Mental Health Awareness Month approaches, the talk about anxiety, mental illnesses and depression becomes a larger discussion. The “Just Like You” singer admitted on Instagram earlier this week that she’s going through some “serious changes” in her life right now while on her journey to bettering herself as a person.
Keyshia Cole attends her “11:11 Reset” Listening Party at Premiere Recording Studio on October 18, 2017 in New York City. (Photo: Shareif Ziyadat/WireImage)
On March 27 Cole retweeted a Twitter user who compared depression to a “black hole” that pulls “you back in deeper.”
“When you think you’ve clawed your way out of the hole your demons pull you back in deeper,” the person wrote. “People think depression is just sadness all the time, it can be anger too. It can be tiredness, exhaustion. It can be feeling helpless or worthless.”
The singer’s retweet apparently caused a fan of hers to ask if she’s “ever dealt with depression” to which Cole suggested she had.
“Of course,” she responded.
@keyshiacole Twitter
The musician’s succinct revelation drew praise from fans.
“I love me some Keyshia 😊,” one fan commented. “Just wanna let you know that you help me a lot to cope with it. There is something about your voice that soothes my soul.”
Another added, “Depression is really really deep. People don’t even know it’s something in there life. … I love you.”
Another R&B singer who has not only spoken about dealing with depression but has shed light on mental health as a whole is Michelle Williams of “Destiny’s Child.” In October 2017 she revealed on the daytime show “The Talk” that she’d suffered from the disorder beginning from between the ages of 13 and 15 but didn’t get the proper diagnosis until she was in her 30s.
Michelle Williams arrives at the 23rd Annual ELLE Women in Hollywood Awards at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills on October 24, 2016.
“So many people are walking around acting like they’ve got it all together, and they’re suffering,” Williams said. “For years, I was in one of the top-selling female groups of all time, suffering with depression.”
In July 2018, the “Survivor” singer checked herself into a Los Angeles-area mental health facility. She thanked her family and fans for showing her support through her ongoing battle with depression.
“Thank you ALL sooooooooooooooo much for every message of love and support sent!” Williams wrote in a now deleted Instagram post. “I had no plans of what I was going through being public BUT now that it is I have a made an even BIGGER commitment to the mental health awareness area. So many people are suffering, hurting, hopeless, lost and don’t see a way out but there is. Depression sucks, but my faith in God and my commitment to doing the work to stay well is my way out!”
