Grande deserves the praise for seeking professional medical help for health issues like PTSD, anxiety, and depression, which are often ignored. (Photo: Instagram/@arianagrande)
Ariana Grande mental health: While it is not easy to talk about mental health issues and other related topics -- especially for people who are in the public eye and easily scrutinised -- Ariana Grande has opened up about her setbacks and challenges in numerous interviews in the past. Recently, too, she candidly talked about experiences with mental health issues, especially post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety. The 'Wicked' star revealed in an interview that she was emotionally exhausted while working on her albums 'Sweetener' and 'Thank U, Next' on a February 3 episode of the 'Hollywood Reporter' podcast 'Awards Chatter'. The Grammy-winning singer and Oscar-nominated actor purportedly experienced depression, grief, anxiety and PTSD while working on the albums back-to-back.
According to news reports, when 'Sweetener' released in August 2018, it marked Grande's first project after the bombing in Manchester during her 'Dangerous Woman Tour' in 2017, which killed as many as 22 people and injured hundreds others. Less than one month after the album was dropped, the 31-year-old's former boyfriend Mac Miller died of an 'accidental drug overdose'. 'Thank U, Next' was her other album that she released in February 2019.
View this post on Instagram
"I was doing so much therapy, and I was dealing with PTSD and all different kinds of grief and depression and anxiety. And, I was, of course, treating it very seriously, but having music be a part of that remedy was absolutely contributing to saving my life," the singer and actor reportedly said on the podcast, as mentioned in news reports.
"They were dark times, and the music brought so much levity, and so did the experience. But, it poured out with urgency, and it was made with urgency; and it was a means of survival," Grande continued.
Elsewhere in the interview, the '7 Rings' singer -- who enjoys a massive popularity on social media, too -- said it was the steady and deep connection she always had with her fans that kept her going, and has been "one of the most beautiful pieces of the puzzle" in her career.
View this post on Instagram
"...like, meeting waiters at a restaurant who will tell me that they felt like they had a big sister in me because they didn't have a sister growing up, and they're gay, and they have felt like I was their sister, and they could come out because I was there and made a silly song. It's just really beautiful, and I carry that with me," Grande said on the podcast.
Like Grande, many celebrities have opened up about difficult chapters from their lives, which have been met with both praise and ridicule. But, their fans do look up to them when it comes to putting the spotlight on topics like mental health, which continues to be a stigma in many parts of the world. In order to raise awareness and make people feel less lonely, most celebrities readily talk about their own struggles, as if to make a difference in the world and to validate their own feelings.
View this post on Instagram
The need of the hour is to be a little more accepting and compassionate, especially with those who are visibly struggling -- regardless of whether they enjoy a celebrity status, or are regular people engaged in everyday jobs.
Grande deserves the praise for seeking professional medical help for health issues like PTSD, anxiety, and depression, which are often ignored.
