Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson lives what many would consider a dream life. He has an impressive professional wrestling career quite literally under his belt, a long list of acting credits, an adorable french bull dog, and a baby girl on the way. But that’s not to say life has always been a breeze. Recently he opened up about his struggle with a health condition familiar to millions of Americans: depression.
Johnson, 43, recently talked about how at 23, after his football career came to an end, he became so depressed that the only activity he could stomach was scrubbing the walls of his family’s small apartment for days on end. “At 23, you think life is over,” he explained to the camera for the OWN network’s Oprah’s Master Class series.
“I found that with depression, one of the most important things that you could realize is that you’re not alone,” Johnson went on. “You’re not the first to go through it; you’re not going to be the last to go through it. And often times it happens, you feel like you’re alone. You feel like it’s only you and you’re in your bubble. And I wish I had someone at that time who would just pull me aside and say, ‘Hey, it’s going to be okay.'”
He summed up his message for anyone facing their own battle with depression: “Hold on to that fundamental quality of faith. Have faith, and on the other side of your pain is something good.”
RELATED: 12 Signs of Depression in Men
While women are twice as likely to be affected by depression than men, more than 6 million men in the U.S. experience depression every year. Men and women cope with depression differently, and men are less likely to seek out treatment for various reasons.
In some cases, it may be that men feel the need to fit a “masculine” gender stereotype, which requires men to act tough or “man up” despite how they’re feeling.
Johnson agrees: the star recently tweeted, “Sometimes the hardest thing for us guys is to ask for help. I made that mistake a few times.”
RELATED: 20 Celebrities Who Battled Depression
from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/213DjdO
