Jonah Hill is being more forthcoming about his mental health. In order to combat his nervousness, the actor revealed in an letter published in Deadline that he won’t appear in public to promote any new movies or his most recent movie, Stutz, a documentary about him and his therapist.
In his essay, he said, “I have learned via this path of self-discovery within the film that I have spent almost 20 years battling anxiety attacks, which are aggravated by media appearances and public face events.”
While the majority of individuals occasionally feel anxious, those with anxiety disorders have “intense, overwhelming, and persistent concern and panic about ordinary events,” according to according to the Mayo Clinic . According to the Mayo Clinic, panic attacks in particular are “repeated bouts of abrupt emotions of acute anxiety and fear or terror that reach a peak within minutes.” (See: Panic Attack Warning Signs Everyone Should Know.)
According to a recent letter from Hill, he made his most current movie to teach a broad audience the techniques he’s picked up in treatment. I am extremely appreciative that the movie will have its world premiere this fall at a prominent film festival, and I can’t wait to show it to audiences all around the world in the hope that it will support others who are struggling, the author stated. “But while I take this necessary precaution to safeguard myself, you won’t see me out there promoting this movie or any of my next movies. I wouldn’t be being truthful to myself or the movie if I promoted it in a way that made me feel worse.”
The Superbad actor also acknowledged his luxury in being able to prioritize his mental health by taking time off work, as not everyone can. It’s no secret that treatment is frequently pricey and that insurance policies don’t always cover it. Furthermore, a study published in 2021 discovered that the biggest obstacle to mental health care for individuals who need it was affordability.
There are still many obstacles to receiving mental health care, particularly for men, even when accounting for costs. For instance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that men are less likely than women to seek mental health therapy (approximately 13% versus 25%, respectively). Additionally, research indicates that males are subject to societal pressure to avoid being labeled as emotional or sensitive , and a systematic review published in 2019 discovered that this pressure is perceived as significant, which may be why men are less likely to seek mental health care.
The tide might be changing, though. There are other famous men who freely discuss their mental health besides Hill. Tom Holland recently announced on Instagram that he will be taking a sabbatical from social media in order to improve his mental health. He commented in a video posted on Instagram , “I find Instagram and Twitter to be overstimulating, to be overbearing.” He used the occasion to spread the word about the organization Stem4 , which supports the mental health of teenagers. Let’s start a conversation about mental health, he added in the post’s caption.
Shawn Mendes postponed his “Wonder” tour earlier this summer in order to concentrate on his mental health, as he shared with a message with his Instagram followers . After a protracted hiatus due to the pandemic, he stated, “I started this tour happy to finally go back to playing live, but the reality is I was not at all ready for how difficult travelling would be after this time away.” It has become more obvious that I need to take the time I’ve never taken personally to ground myself and return stronger after meeting with my team and working with an amazing group of health specialists,
This is in response to Harry Styles disclosing his use of therapy in his Better Homes and Gardens cover story from May 2022. He told the magazine, “I believed it {going to therapy} indicated that you were broken. I wanted to be able to say, “I don’t need that,”
Although this is by no means a comprehensive list of renowned men who have spoken out on the subject, it is really encouraging to see how these men have recently used their enormous platforms to address the still sometimes stigmatized subject of mental health. We can only hope that it encourages more individuals to be open about their emotional needs and seek mental health care. (Learn why everyone should at least once try therapy.)
