Depression is a popular thing, whether you care to admit it or not, but maybe you don’t realize just how much it’s affecting people. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, nearly 20 percent of people suffer from anxiety, the most common mental illness, while nearly half of that suffer from diagnosed clinical depression. But the real kicker is the percent of people who either aren’t diagnosed or don’t even realize they have a problem, a number that can’t be easily quantified, even yourself perhaps.
Depression has become uncomfortably taboo, even in a time of great progressiveness, along with the likes of homophobia, gender identity and the most taboo of all: suicide. White males are currently on the rise of having the highest suicide rate in America, possibly due to falling into brackets of “white privilege” and “first world problems” that don’t seem fit to request help. People who do address the topic are more often than not subject to public ridicule, thanks to our pride and joy: the internet, TV shows like 13 Reasons Why being the most recent victim for its depiction of suicide.
Our purpose here is not to debate, but to address a quiet, giant demon in our culture, much worse than Nickelback or nose picking, so we figured bringing in a comedy writer to talk ironically about depression might help make it less uncomfortable. We all know by now that some of the funniest people battle the darkest demons, and unfortunately, we’ve lost more than we can count in recent years. While normally we’re all about boobs and jokes, if we’re talking about depression, you know it’s important to address it
Have a look at these celebrities below, great men and women who seemingly have it all together, who have fallen victim to it in one way or another. Maybe then you won’t be too uncomfortable to bring it up, if it’s bothering you.
A Comedy Writer Talks Ironically About Battling Depression And Maybe You Should Listen
Hey, you’re not alone. This clip from It’s Kind of a Funny Story will show you that.