Celebrities and Famous People Who Have PTSD and Their Stories
Looking at famous people with PTSD – and seeing all that they have accomplished – is an excellent way to draw hope and inspiration. For as challenging as post traumatic stress disorder can be, it doesn’t have to stop you from reaching for the stars and achieving your dreams.
Post traumatic stress disorder is a serious mental health condition that deserves attention and professional treatment. If you or a loved one are dealing with mental health issues that stem from childhood trauma or another traumatic event, getting help as soon as possible is the best approach to take.
At Purpose Healing Center, we welcome individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder regularly. Our treatment options are always customized to serve the needs of the individual properly. Take a moment now to give us a call and learn more about what we have to offer.
What is PTSD? Is PTSD Common Among Celebrities?
Before we get to stories of famous people with PTSD, we should first stop to define post traumatic stress disorder. This is a mental health condition that can be triggered by experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. A traumatic event of any kind can lead to PTSD symptoms later in life.
PTSD and trauma disorders is often associated with combat veterans. While that group of people is certainly impacted, anyone with a traumatic event in their past can be affected. Many different types of traumas can lead to PTSD symptoms later on. Included in the possibilities are sexual assault and sexual abuse, child abuse, abandonment at a young age, and on and on.
A number of different symptoms are often experienced with PTSD. Having consistent, ongoing intrusive thoughts or flashbacks is one common symptom.
The Effects of Trauma Disorders in Daily Life
Many people, celebrities and others as well, with PTSD struggle to keep the memory of their trauma from coming back over and over again at all times of the day and night. This has a profound impact on their quality of life and the mental struggles can be severe.
It’s also common for those with PTSD to avoid situations where they may be reminded of their traumatic experience. They may also have a notable negative change in their mood or thinking as compared to their personality before the traumatic event.
Some with PTSD struggle with alcohol addiction, drug use, eating disorder problems, and many other issues that stem from the memory of the trauma they experienced. Substance use disorder is sadly common in PTSD patients.
Tragically, some have committed suicide as a result of their battle with this disorder and the toll that the acute traumatic stress has taken on their lives.
6 Famous People Who Have Opened Up About PTSD
To be sure, countless famous people have dealt with PTSD in one form or another in their lives. Often, the general public doesn’t know about those struggles. In some cases, however, the individual chooses to share their story with the hope of helping and inspiring others.
Here are a few examples of famous people who have gone public about their experiences with post traumatic stress disorder.
Lady Gaga
One of the most successful performers in the world, Lady Gaga has spoken openly about her experience with sexual assault when she was younger. This is obviously a tremendously traumatic childhood event and it has shaped her perspective on life in many ways. She had to deal with countless emotional struggles and years of chronic pain that stemmed from the trauma.
It’s easy to see someone as famous as Lady Gaga and assume that everything in their life is on track. But there is often an untold story – until that story is shared with the public. Her openness has helped to raise awareness, as has the work she has done with the Born This Way Foundation.
People with PTSD can certainly look to Lady Gaga as one of many excellent examples of how celebrities and famous people experience difficulties just like everyone else.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
Prince Harry is one of the most famous people in the world. There is a tremendous amount of stress and pressure that comes with that kind of fame. The difficulties that Prince Harry faced in life were only compounded by the tragic death of his mother, Princess Diana. This event led him to develop PTSD, along with the experiences that he had serving in the British Army.
Between the extreme violence seen in a war zone like Afghanistan and the complex PTSD that can stem from the loss of a parent at a young age, it’s easy to see why Prince Harry sought therapy to deal with these issues.
Today, he works with operations like the “Heads Together” campaign to promote recovery stories and help as many people as possible get the care they need.
Whoopi Goldberg
A well-known actress and comedian, Whoopi Goldberg went through a traumatic experience early in life when she witnessed a mid-air plane collision. Goldberg was only a child at the time and the memory of that event had a lasting impact on her life.
Specifically, she had a fear of flying that stemmed from seeing the crash, which made her professional life as a performer more difficult to manage.
She was able to overcome the trauma through treatment and now manages the symptoms and is able to fly when necessary. This is a great example of how PTSD can impact people in various ways, as Goldberg wasn’t even directly involved in the traumatic event. However, simply by witnessing something so terrible, a lasting impact can be had.
Terry Crews
Few people are as physically imposing as Terry Crews. A powerful man who played professional football before transitioning to a career as an entertainer, Crews looks like he could do anything and would be afraid of nothing.
Under the surface, however, Crews had to deal with post traumatic stress disorder as a result of the abuse he experienced as a child. His father was an alcoholic who regularly abused Crews’ mother, leaving Crews to deal with deep psychological scars.
Only later in adult life, when he sought treatment for this trauma, was he able to break the cycle of issues with anger and control. He is now a strong voice for mental health awareness, particularly with men and in communities of color.
Monica Seles
One of the most shocking events in sports history happened during a tennis match in Hamburg, Germany. While the players were sitting down in between games, a fan rushed onto the court and stabbed Monica Seles in the back. Seles survived the attack and would recover physically, but the psychological damage was significant.
She dealt with lasting PTSD and severe anxiety. Only after a long break was she able to return to the court and continue with her career. Later in life, she has been an active advocate for mental health and getting treatment to address traumatic events.
Mick Jagger
As the lead singer of the Rolling Stones, few rock stars have ever been as influential as Mick Jagger. With a career that has spanned decades, he’s among the most recognizable people on the planet. In 2014, Jagger experienced a tremendous trauma when his longtime partner L’Wren Scott committed suicide.
It was difficult for Jagger to recover from this event and it took some time before he would perform again. This is an example of how trauma can strike at any age and have a powerful impact on an individual. Jagger was not young when this event occurred, yet it has impacted him significantly just the same.
Learning from These Powerful Stories
Plenty of lessons can be pulled from these stories of famous people with PTSD and other forms of acute traumatic stress disorder conditions.
For starters, there are many different types of trauma included in the list above. PTSD doesn’t stem from just one cause, so whatever type of traumatic event you have experienced, know that it can lead to this mental health condition.
It’s also worth noting that many celebrities and famous people with PTSD wind up struggling silently for years. Many took years before they got treatment for the condition and decided to go public with the experience to help raise PTSD awareness.
Learning from these examples and choosing to talk about your challenges sooner rather than later would be an excellent step to take. If these people can live productive lives with PTSD, so can you.
There is no need to allow the struggle to continue to go on for years without taking steps to turn your life in a new direction and away from the traumatic memories and intense fear that mark this psychiatric disorder.
The Power of Professional Help for Trauma and PTSD
If you take only one lesson away from this page, let it be the power and importance of getting professional help for your PTSD as a form of mental illness that will benefit from supportive care. People develop PTSD for many different reasons and everyone deserves proper support to address the problem and find a path forward.
It’s going to be difficult to defeat these intrusive memories on your own. A formal PTSD diagnosis can explain things like violent outbursts and panic attacks and will give you the space needed to finally confront your traumas once and for all.
There is courage required to step up and admit that you need help, but you have already demonstrated that courage in how you have had to battle PTSD on your own. Now it’s time to put a team around you.
Whether your traumatic experience was a life threatening event, childhood abuse, or any other type of tragic incident, you don’t need to live with emotional numbness any longer. Nor do you need to self-medicate through alcohol abuse or drug addiction.
Just as many celebrities have done, contact a professional today and seek treatment that is specifically targeted to your life experiences.
Write a New Story With Our Support at Purpose Healing Center
While it can be inspirational to read stories of people who have dealt with post traumatic stress disorder successfully, ultimately the most important thing is to write the story of your own life.
What do you want to accomplish? How have your PTSD symptoms been getting in your way? Take control through professional treatment and open up a new world of possibilities.
The next step is to call Purpose Healing Center today.
After a quick conversation with a member of our admissions team, you’ll have a clear picture of the path ahead and you can get started on treatment immediately. Let’s work together to make you a PTSD success story.
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