Earlier this week, Coldplay's Chris Martin opened up about a year-long battle with depression following his divorce from Gwyneth Paltrow.
The frontman's former manager, Phil Harvey, admitted that his band mates and family couldn't help fearing for "the worst case scenario" and had to regularly check on the singer to ensure he wasn't alone.
Thankfully, although Martin still admits to having down days, he says he now has the tools around him to turn his mental health around.
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As I read Martin's interview, I couldn't help but read the comment section on The Daily Mail (I know, sorry).
What I saw infuriated me and it made me realise that although mental health is in the headlines a lot more nowadays, we still have so much to learn if we want to end the stigma.
People who comment from their armchairs just can't seem to comprehend how someone rich and successful could possibly suffer from depression. Which, in itself, is bizarre to me. It's almost like saying, "wow, how on earth did Chris Martin break his arm if he's so rich?!"
Here are just a few of the comments:
Dearest commenters of The Daily Mail, and other media outlets, I must break the news to you. Even if you're dating Jennifer Lawrence and have a net worth of around £100million, you're still prone to the same illnesses anyone else is.
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Chris Martin is not the first public figure to be denounced, rather than celebrated, for opening up about mental health struggles.
In 2010, at a Los Angeles screening of his Runaway film, Kanye West abruptly told the audience, "There were times that I contemplated suicide. I will not give up on life again. There's so many people that will never get the chance to have their voice heard. I do it for them."
In November of last year, Justin Bieber detailed his depression to NME:
"I just want people to know I'm human. I'm struggling just to get through the days. I think a lot of people are. You get lonely, you know, when you're on the road. People see the glam and the amazing stuff, but they don't know the other side. This life can rip you apart."
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These honest confessions from Kanye and Bieber received a very similar reaction from small-minded keyboard warriors as Chris Martin's did.
Granted, you might think these musicians are bellends who make dogshit music, and that's fine I suppose. But that doesn't make them any less human and prone to an illness - because that's what depression is. It's not just feeling a bit bummed out sometimes.
If just one fan sees their idol opening up about mental health problems and that encourages them to do the same, then that's one life that may have been saved.
Let's hope more celebrities do the same, and people start treating them like the humans that they are.
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People will not open up and we will never end the stigma as long as we're still criticising those who admit to being ill.
Written by Liam Bond
Topics: Kanye West, Justin Bieber, Interesting, Feels, Depression, Health