Recognised as one of the world’s sexiest and most successful men, Brad Pitt has opened up about his battle with depression.
Mental health groups have praised the actor for speaking so candidly about his depression in the 1990s, claiming his revelation will give many people "renewed hope".
Pitt told the Hollywood Reporter he saw his experience with the mental illness as "a great education".
The actor, who is nominated for best actor at the Oscars for his part in Moneyball, said: "I got really sick of myself at the end of the 1990s.
"I was hiding out from the celebrity thing, I was smoking way too much dope, I was sitting on the couch and just turning into a doughnut and I really got irritated with myself.
"I got to ‘what’s the point? I know better than this’."
He continued: "I used to deal with depression, but I don’t now, not this decade — maybe last decade. But that’s also figuring out who you are.
"I see it as a great education, as one of the seasons or a semester — this semester I was majoring in depression."
Pitt said he pulled himself out of his depression after seeing extreme poverty on a trip to Casablanca. In Morocco, "I saw poverty to an extreme I had never witnessed before, and we talked about inequality and healthcare, and I saw just what I felt was so unnecessary, that people should have to survive in these circumstances… It stuck with me."
Almost overnight "I just quit. I stopped grass then — I mean, pretty much — and decided to get off the couch."
Mark Davies, of Rethink Mental Illness, said: "Mental illness can happen to any of us at any time, whether famous or not, rich or poor.
"We commend Brad Pitt for speaking so bravely and openly about his experiences…
"Brad Pitt’s story shows that it is possible to recover from depression, which will give many people renewed hope."
In the 1990s, Pitt starred in some of his biggest films, including Fight Club, 12 Monkeys and Seven.
Help lines
* AWARE: 1890 303 302 Email: info@aware.ie
* GROW: 1890 474 474 info@grow.ie
* Samaritans: 1850 609 090 jo@samaritans.org
* Mental Health Ireland 01 2841166 086 8353387 information@mentalhealthireland.ie
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Friday, January 27, 2012
