PTSD affects 6% of the US population. However, these numbers are probably underestimated because PTSD cases can go unreported due to the taboo associated with mental health conditions and getting mental health help.
But even with the stigmatization, many celebrities have shared their stories. They openly admit to having experienced PTSD. These stories encourage those with intense post-traumatic symptoms to seek help.
What is PTSD?
PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) happens when a person goes through a traumatic experience. Some examples are:
- Accidents
- Natural Disasters
- Difficult Childbirth
- Sexual Assault
- Life-threatening Event
For a person to be diagnosed with PTSD, they exhibit mental health struggles. The following is a list of symptoms that must persist for a month to receive the diagnosis of PTSD:
- Sleeping problems
- Flashbacks
- Nightmares about the traumatic event
- Lack of concentration
- Thoughts about suicide
- Increased startling
- Heightened alertness
- Emotional outbursts
- Intrusive memories
- Coping mechanisms like drugs or alcohol
PTSD often leads to alcohol abuse and drug addiction.
However, both addiction and PTSD are treatable. The only requirement is opening up and asking for help.
11 Famous People With PTSD
Famous people are often seen as figures of success. Their lives are idealized as well. However, when they open up about a traumatic event in their lives and their struggle with PTSD, it shows how similar their experiences are to the common population.
Here, we delve into X famous names that have come forward with their stories that caused them post-traumatic stress disorder.
Lady Gaga
In 2015, Lady Gaga opened up about the event that caused her PTSD. When she was merely 19, she was raped repeatedly. Because she didn’t process the trauma of the event, she developed PTSD.
Since then, Lady Gaga has openly discussed her struggles. During Oprah Winfrey’s 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus Tour, she said that she doesn’t define herself as a survivor or a victim of sexual violence.
She agrees that the trauma of an event like this can last a lifetime. She still gets therapy for PTSD and keeps her symptoms in check. However, she also uses music as an escape. Music allows her to express herself and free herself from the trauma she faced as a young girl.
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande has been spotlighted for her role in Wicked in 2024. However, she has been known since she was a child star on Nickelodeon, after which she took on singing and songwriting as a career.
In 2017, she was having a concert in Manchester, UK, when a suicide bomber disrupted her concert. This bombing killed 22 people and injured more than a hundred.
After this event, Ariana publicly shared her brain scan on Instagram. The scan showed her PTSD’s physical impact. She sought therapy for her PTSD but still struggles with it. Her weight loss in Wicked has had fans concerned about her mental illness and physical wellbeing.
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah is one of the most popular celebrities in the US. She opened up about her childhood trauma, sexual abuse, and years of neglect leading to PTSD in the show called “The Me You Can’t See”.
She also paired up with trauma expert Dr. Bruce Perry to release a book on childhood trauma. The book is titled “What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing”.
Prince Harry
Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey co-created the docuseries “The Me You Can’t See”. In one of the episodes, Prince Harry opened up about losing his mum, Princess Diana. He was just 12 years old when he lost her. Since then, he experienced severe anxiety and had panic attacks as a result of his PTSD.
When he was 12, he suppressed his feelings. But in the show, he talked about how he resorted to alcohol and drugs to reduce the feeling of his pain.
In 2017, during an interview with The Telegraph, he said that he had been in therapy for several years. He also gave his brother due credit for his therapy since he was the one who urged him to seek mental health help.
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is quite well-known in the United States media. Because of her work, she spends a lot of her time traveling. However, she has a panic attack every time she boards a plane.
This is due to an unsettling event that she saw in 1978. She saw a plane crash in front of her eyes from a balcony in San Diego. Because she has associated trauma with planes but has to travel, she has done a lot to help with her PTSD.
For instance, she took a Virgin Atlantic course to help her work through her intense fear of flying. Because of her fear of flying, she chose to travel by private bus between Los Angeles and New York for many years. She still has flashbacks of the event as if it were yesterday. She says that the vision lives in her brain.
Reese Witherspoon
84 women have accused the disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein of misconduct and sexual harassment. Reese Witherspoon was most impacted when this scandal broke in The New York Times. Oprah opened up that she saw Reese showering symptoms of PTSD after the news broke. The news had probably caused her to relive the worst moments she had experienced.
A month later, Reese Witherspoon herself admitted being assaulted by a director when she was 16 years old, new to Hollywood.
Jacqueline Kennedy
Jacqueline Kennedy, wife of President John F. Kennedy, witnessed his assassination. She understandably experienced the trauma firsthand.
She never voiced her struggles with PTSD. It was Barbara Leaming who wrote a book about her 31 years of struggle with PTSD. This book “Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: The Untold Story”. This book outlines how she struggled inside while keeping her composure in public.
Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger, the frontman of The Rolling Stones, has been the envy of the public because of his fame and wealth. However, he found himself paralyzed with grief when his partner, L’Wren Scott, committed suicide in their Manhattan apartment.
His story is an example that shows that no one is immune to mental health issues. The celebrity’s doctor advised him not to tour, fearing it might worsen his condition.
Chris Brown
Although Chris Brown has never opened up about his PTSD, his violent outbursts got him to a court-ordered rehab. The rehab confirmed that Chris’s untreated mental health condition, especially his bipolar disorder, was the reason for his outbursts. They also confirmed that he often resorts to self-medication to go through his mood swings and manage his trauma triggers.
This is a case that shows why seeking mental health help after PTSD is so important. If it goes unresolved, it greatly impacts the person’s quality of life and affects those around them as well.
Shia LaBeouf
American Actor and filmmaker Shia LaBeouf opened up about his struggles with PTSD. He said that he overheard his mom being raped after his parents had separated. This caused him childhood trauma and is the cause of other related conditions.
This became apparent when he was arrested in Georgia for misconduct in public. In 2020, his ex-girlfriend, FKA Twigs, sued him for emotional distress, sexual battery, and assault. This also probably stems from his unresolved PTSD.
Sia Furler
Sia Furler is the voice behind chart toppers like Cheap Thrills. However, Sia has also dealt with several traumatic experiences that have led to PTSD diagnosis. Her father, musician “Philby” Colson, was the cause of her trauma during childhood. Sia says he probably had dissociative identity disorder, although he has never been diagnosed.
Another event that had her in the blues was her boyfriend’s accident in 1997. His tragic death was what marked the beginning of her alcohol addiction.
She used alcohol and drugs to cope with her grief of losing her first love. However, she realized that the addiction was harmful to her, and in 2018, she announced that she had been 8 years sober. She was still struggling with suicide ideation, for which she got herself into rehab in 2022. Sia has been very vocal about her healing journey, giving hope to people who relive traumatic memories every day because of PTSD.
More Celebrities and Famous People With PTSD
The celebrities mentioned above are known for their struggles with PTSD. Several of these celebrities have been open about their story and PTSD struggles. Here are some other famous personalities who have also struggled with PTSD:
- Gabrielle Union
- Charlize Theron
- Alanis Morissette
- Aimee Mann
- Barbra Streisand
- Lily Allen
- Kelsea Ballerini
- Monica Seles
- Travis Barker
- Tracy Morgan
Final Words: PTSD is Treatable
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can happen to anyone. It usually occurs because of a traumatic event, but the effects linger on even decades after the traumatic event. Whoopi Goldberg’s experience shows how she got PTSD and her fear of planes because of an event she witnessed.
Thankfully, treatment is now not as taboo as before. We admire these celebrities who have shown that PTSD does not discriminate based on money, fame, or wealth.
Because of their stories, in recent years, more celebrities have opened up about their stories and how they managed to lead productive lives after treatment. Many people from this list also resorted to drugs and alcohol to alleviate their condition. However, they found themselves in an addiction problem because of it.
For this reason, doctors carry out a dual diagnosis treatment. It helps them to tackle their PTSD and addiction for a complete recovery.