It’s no secret to everyone in the LGBT community that mental illness is prevalent among youth and adults struggling with their identities and trying to find their place in this world. In the United States alone, mental illness in the LGBT community is three times higher than among adults who identify as straight, and four times higher for LGBT teens and young adults.
What most heterosexual people don’t understand is that we don’t just come out of the closet once, we come out over and over again. When you get a new job with a new employer, you meet new people at work, join new sports clubs or outdoor organizations, or when you move to a new city and settle in, you have to introduce yourself and come out to every single person or new friend you make for the rest of your life, leading to countless opportunities to feel rejection and discrimination based on your orientation. Every day many of us wonder, “Will they like me, will they hate me, will they accept me?” Straight people have the luxury of never worrying about being discriminated against for being heterosexual.
The stigma of being in (or fresh out of) the closet and facing rejection from family or friends can lead to mental illnesses like personality disorders, severe stress and anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and/or suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Many LGBT Americans also have a stigma about receiving help or treatment in fear of further discrimination, not being taken seriously, being judged for their “lifestyle” or “poor choices”, or just being ignored. This double-edged sword has cut many in the LGBT community and continues to plague vulnerable people who need help the most. Sometimes we are even bullied by those in our own community for having a mental or physical illness, all of which can lead to alcohol abuse, drug abuse, self-harm and even suicide.
When faced with a mental illness, there are many routes one can take to help ease the pain: medications, one-on-one therapy or counseling, meditation, exercise, or even self-help books. What people who have mental illness should also remember and feel proud of is that some of the best minds and most talented artists, singers, designers, comedians, actors, athletes, authors, and civil rights leaders have struggled with mental illnesses in their own lives and most have used that to their advantage. It is easy to succumb to your illness, but what if rather than seeing your condition as a weapon holding you down, you turn it into a tool to bring you up.
Gadge Roberts, a well-known artist in the LGBT community, did not even start his own online businesses until he was diagnosed with borderline personality order in 2012. Upon realizing he has a mental illness, Roberts used that as inspiration for making beautiful art and clothing. Every time he felt frustrated or angry, he would put brushes to canvas and use whatever emotions he was feeling to fuel his art. He now owns and operates www.FascistPanties.com, a website full of great LGBT-related merchandise, clothing and artwork, which, without his mental illness to motivate and push him, he would not have ever started in the first place.
World-famous singer Adele has struggled with depression and anxiety her whole life, especially early in her career when her rise to superstardom negatively affected her love-life and family. Adele has written some of the most beautiful sad songs many of us have ever heard, such as “Someone Like You” or “Water Under the Bridge”, and when asked where she finds the inspiration to write, she has confessed that her best work comes when she finds herself in the darkest places. When she is happy and her life is going smoothly, it is difficult to put pen to paper and write lyrics.
After years of bouncing from foster home to foster home, being raised by hippies, being sent to juvenile hall, abusing drugs and alcohol and feeling rejected by society, Courtney Love picked up a microphone and taught herself how to play the guitar. She formed the rock band Hole, and in many songs, Courtney Love scream-sings her lyrics with such passion, intensity and soul that we can hear her anger, disgust and frustration while still sounding great and in tune. In an interview with MTV, Love once said “I have to express my rage, I’m really angry. The first time I ever really screamed, it was the most liberating feeling. It was very pure and very true/…/Maybe I’m deeply wounded? Maybe that’s why screaming feels so f****** good.” She used her rage and anger to her advantage, screaming her lungs out to create a wildly successful rock and roll career for over two decades, accompanied by a legion of fans who scream their hearts out alongside her at all of her sold out shows.
Leonardo DiCaprio suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and uses that to help shape his acting to bring out some of the most iconic and memorable characters through his genuinely powerful performances. His own team has said he must wake up earlier than everyone else in order to complete mundane routines that he creates in his mind, like touching a doorknob at the same time every morning or sipping a cup of water exactly five times before going on set. Today, Leo still suffers from OCD, but because he sees the world in such a specific way, he has earned the reputation for being one of the best A-list actors in the history of cinema, has won an Academy Award, and has been nominated an additional four times.
The list of celebrities who suffer from one or more mental illnesses could wrap around a room:
Ellen DeGeneres, Angelina Jolie, J.K. Rowling, Lena Dunham, Brad Pitt, Hayden Panettiere, Adam Levine, Sir Elton John, Jim Carrey, Sia, Gwyneth Paltrow, Catherine Zeta-Jones, John Hamm, David Beckham, Brittany Snow, Ellen Page, Lady Gaga, Megan Fox, Beyoncé Knowles, Olivia Munn, Miley Cyrus…just to name a few.
All these people listed above have some form of mental illness whether it be depression, body dysmorphia, anorexia, anxiety, OCD, Bipolar disorder, bulimia, or ADHD. What else do they all have in common? None of them let their disorders derail them or stop them from reaching their dreams and living full, successful lives.
Whether you are gay or straight, young or old, rich or poor, mental illness does not discriminate. It is important to know there is always help if you want it, and there are loving, supportive people around you even if you must look harder than others do. What you must ask yourself if faced with a mental illness is, “Will this define me? Am I only going to be known for this illness? Or can I use it as another tool in my path to success?” It is easy to just give up and quit, but if you control your illness instead of letting it control you, then you will be that much harder to take down. You are stronger than your illness.
About the Author:
Brian Moniz is from San Jose, Calif. He studied filmmaking and writing at San Jose State University from 2010–2013 and got his bachelor’s degree in Radio-TV-Film. Throughout his high school and college years, he worked as a music and movie journalist and critic. Having only recently come out of the closet himself in 2014, Brian enjoys writing about LGBTQ issues. His only regret when it comes to his sexuality is that he didn’t come out sooner.
