Throughout his numerous appearances in sporting events or blockbuster films, The Rock is often portrayed as either a macho man or a friendly giant. For that reason, many loyal viewers are surprised to find out that The Rock actually struggled with depression on multiple instances.
Johnson saw the effects of depression from a young age, when he saved his mother from her attempted suicide. After being evicted from their apartment, Johnson's mother attempted to walk into oncoming traffic, only to be jerked out of the way by Johnson before a car struck.
As for The Rock himself, Johnson originally wanted to pursue a career in (American) football, before suffering numerous injuries which rendered him unable to pursue his passion. Shortly thereafter, his girlfriend left him, sending him into an awful state which he describes as "my absolute worst time."
When talking with fans about the path to recovery, The Rock stressed the importance of outreach and awareness, stating: "We’ve always got to do our best to pay attention when other people are in pain. We have to help them through it and remind them they are not alone."
Often for celebrities and famous people such as Dwayne Johnson, depression has been an aspect of their life. This stems, I think, from the increased pressure to succeed for these individuals. There are so many standards, which are so high, that they must meet. Stereotypes include the notion that female actors must be skinny and gorgeous, and male actors must be muscular and handsome. Having such high expectations to reach can lead someone to feel worried and stressed about meeting these expectations. It's no wonder, therefore, that these celebrities can become depressed.
This is a really interesting case for me as I have watched a couple of interviews him and from what I've seen of his laid-back, humorous personality , I would never have thought that he would have had the past he has had. I think it is really inspiring to see how he has overcome adversity to get to the place he is now.
Following this example of the Rock, I wanted to raise a case of a friend of mine who is also currently suffering from diagnosed depression. Your last point states that the Rock stresses the importance of outreach and awareness, which we have to realize is not always possible, especially for those who come from more traditional countries like my own, Kenya. My said friend has only confided in me, a couple of other people, and his therapist -- his parents know nothing of this, the same parents who should be his greatest support system. Sometimes, it's just very difficult to reach out, especially to the people who care most about you, because of the stigma that surrounds the topic. In addition, he mentions that we ought to help them through it and remind them that they're not alone. I find this strikingly hard, especially in helping those with severe depression. My said friend does have severe depression. I'm one to be drawn to talk with people going through problems, and helping them, and for this reason, he trusts me as one of his closest confidants. I always try to remind him that he's not alone, but he always replies that he has lost all hope in life, and that he doesn't really care about anything anymore -- nothing I say seems to help and even his therapist doesn't seem to be making any progress. I just wanted to raise this example to show that depression cases and solutions aren't always black and white. I wonder if any of you have had similar experiences. However, I applaud the Rock for speaking out about his depression, and attempting to raise awareness on the topic.