9 Celebs With PTSD

3.7K

Celebrities Who Struggle With Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Do you want to know that you aren’t alone in coping with the troubling symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder? There are plenty of celebs with PTSD that can serve as inspiration for anyone who wants to seek treatment for this mental health condition.

You just have to know where to look to find those who advocate for better mental health.

Lady Gaga is perhaps the most famous celeb with these mental disorders, but she isn’t alone. You’ll also be in good company with Jaime Lowe, Prince Harry, Ariana Grande, and Gabrielle Union. People develop PTSD for a variety of reasons, but many celebrities have things in common with childhood trauma and sexual assault.

Catalina Behavioral Health can provide you with the help you need for PTSD so that you’re able to take control of your own life again. We offer residential and outpatient treatment for mental health and substance use disorder, giving you the support necessary to thrive. Keep reading to learn more about famous people with PTSD.

9 Famous People with PTSD: Spreading More PTSD Awareness

As with all diagnoses, there are bound to be some celebrities and famous people who will battle PTSD and raise awareness for the mental health condition. From Lady Gaga to Ariana Grande, you’re in good company if you are facing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Here are a few people you may know who have the diagnosis.

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga has been outspoken about her experiences with sexual assault and the profound impact that had on her mental health. She’s dealt with multiple hospitalizations and long-term treatments that have helped her overcome the acute traumatic stress and still go on to live her life with heights of fame and success.

She is an advocate for both clinical therapy and medications to treat this mental health condition. She has even coauthored a book that discusses the far-reaching implications of any traumatic event. The book was written by her psychiatrist, Dr. Paul Conti, and she wrote the foreword.

Oprah Winfrey

Most people know the talk show host for her inspirational content, but most people don’t realize that she grew up in a home where abuse was common. She was physically abused as a child and was also witness to extreme violence between her grandparents.

Like Lady Gaga, Oprah wrote a book with Dr. Bruce Perry on the effects of trauma as well as the need for resiliency and a healing journey. She uses her platform now to speak out about the need for help for those with PTSD and other conditions.

Notably, she partnered with Prince Harry to talk about his panic attacks and his own PTSD diagnosis in a documentary series on Apple+ TV.

Jaime Lowe

While not a music superstar, Jaime Lowe is a well-known author and advocate for mental health, and she has experienced this psychiatric disorder firsthand. In her teenage years, she was the victim of sexual assault, similar to Lady Gaga. She dealt with the fallout of mental illness and PTSD symptoms over the years, in addition to her bipolar disorder.

One of the most courageous things that Lowe did was enroll in cognitive processing therapy, which she recorded and played back on NPR’s This American Life. They played all ten of her sessions. At the end of her treatment, she felt that she had been given back the keys to her life and felt more empowered by the experience.

Ariana Grande

Unlike some of the other famous people with PTSD whose symptoms predated their claim to fame, Ariana Grande didn’t struggle with child abuse. Instead, she was present at her Manchester concert, where a suicide bomber detonated their weapon and killed dozens of people.

Grande’s mental health issues were dramatically improved with her commitment to therapy. She claims that therapy saved her life and is now committed to making it more affordable and accessible to others struggling with posttraumatic stress disorder and acute traumatic stress disorder with grants for her fans.

Mick Jagger

The Rolling Stones singer is a well-known example of someone who experienced some PTSD symptoms after the tragic loss of his girlfriend to suicide in their shared apartment. As he mourned the loss of the woman he loved and the circumstances surrounding her death, he entered into a very dark place in his life.

Like many of the other celebrities with PTSD on this list, he entered into talk therapy for a while and now shares his recovery stories openly. He counts himself lucky to have had music and performing as coping skills to deal with the terrible emotions that came up for him during this time.

Prince Harry

When it comes to Prince Harry, background is key. Many people were deeply affected by his mother’s death, but none more so than her family. Prince Harry had to deal with the traumatic event of her loss while remaining in the spotlight as a small child.

This compounded the trauma and gave him many of the PTSD symptoms seen in adults.

He was one of the first celebrities and famous people to advocate for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR therapy). This approach has brought relief to many people who would have otherwise struggled to find a way to cope with difficult memories. If you develop PTSD, this is now one of the frontline treatments to help through it.

Gabrielle Union

Actress Gabrielle Union, known for her roles in Bring It On and other popular films, also struggles with PTSD symptoms due to a sexual assault when she was younger. This life-threatening event caused her to live with intense fear and prompted her to seek treatment with talk therapy.

Like Ariana Grande, she is now a huge proponent of the power of therapy to heal childhood trauma and other issues that lead to complex PTSD symptoms. Her psychological scars will never go away, but her sexual abuse no longer defines her.

Alanis Morissette

The artist behind the musical phenomenon of Jagged Little Pill, Alanis Morissette, also experienced some difficult things when her album was released. She says there were things going on behind the scenes that people didn’t realize, causing her to lose her joy. Notably, she remarks that she lost the ability to laugh for years on end.

The difference for her is that her trauma came after she was catapulted to fame. She had fans who would break into her hotel rooms, physically assault her, and even go through her belongings. Fame caused her to have to be strict with the boundaries she set and enforced.

Chris Brown

Most people have heard about the violent outbursts of singer Chris Brown, but not everyone knows that the underlying reason is his PTSD. He didn’t even realize that he had the condition until he was ordered to attend substance abuse counseling, where he found that his violent past was responsible for some of his impulse control issues.

As with many famous people with PTSD, his childhood trauma impacts him now and led him to abuse his girlfriend at the time, Rihanna. He claims that the mandated treatment allowed him to learn new ways of coping with his symptoms and allows him to live a much healthier lifestyle these days.

More Than Celebrities and Famous People: Who’s at Risk for PTSD Symptoms?

The truth is that post-traumatic stress disorder isn’t unique to those who have a following or star status. Anyone who experiences an event that could be potentially life-threatening can develop PTSD and the constant fear that pervades with this disorder.

Trauma can be anything from childhood abuse to a natural disaster. It’s anything that keeps people from living productive lives.

Unfortunately, it often comes with a co-occurring disorder like substance abuse. You may find that you need drugs and alcohol to take away the memories of the traumatic event in your life, but it becomes a habit over time. Catalina Behavioral Health can help you with both conditions so that you get the help you need when you need it.

How to Battle PTSD and Constant Fear: Evidence-Based Treatments

The famous people with PTSD that we covered here are all huge advocates for therapeutic intervention in a variety of ways. Catalina Behavioral Health specializes in evidence-based treatments for your PTSD, starting with cognitive processing therapy, EMDR, dialectical behavioral therapy to develop more coping skills, and holistic approaches like yoga.

Our experienced clinicians will help you cope with the constant fear that trouble and danger lurk around every corner. It’s possible to lead healthy lives despite a tragic incident that happened to you. We help you process an untold story and give you the social support needed for persistent recollections.

If you have heard PTSD mentioned in relation to your symptoms, you owe it to yourself to explore if our treatments could help you cope with and face your trauma head-on.

Find Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Mental Health Help at Catalina

Are you ready to battle PTSD and get back to living life on your own terms? Catalina Behavioral Health offers a range of evidence-based treatments for your symptoms as well as any co-occurring issues like panic attacks or an eating disorder.

We offer a range of treatments, such as prolonged exposure and EMDR therapy.

Our enrollment team is here to answer any questions and help you secure a spot in the program that best suits your needs. Don’t let mental health issues keep you from experiencing life to the fullest.

Give us a call today, and let us verify your insurance benefits to get started!

References

1. Conti, P. (2021). Trauma: The invisible epidemic: How trauma works and how we can heal from it. Sounds True.
2. Perry, B. D., & Winfrey, O. (2021). What happened to you?: Conversations on trauma, resilience, and healing. Flatiron.
3. Watch The Me You Can’t See. Apple TV. (2021, May 21).
4. Ten sessions. This American Life. (2024, September 30).
5. Gainer, D., Alam, S., Alam, H., & Redding, H. (2020). A FLASH OF HOPE: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy. Innovations in clinical neuroscience, 17(7-9), 12–20.
6. Tran K, Moulton K, Santesso N, et al. Cognitive Processing Therapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis [Internet]. Ottawa (ON): Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health; 2016 Mar. (CADTH Health Technology Assessment, No. 141.) Available from:
7. Oppenauer, C., Sprung, M., Gradl, S., & Burghardt, J. (2023). Dialectical behaviour therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (DBT-PTSD): transportability to everyday clinical care in a residential mental health centre. European journal of psychotraumatology, 14(1), 2157159.
8. Laplaud, N., Perrochon, A., Gallou-Guyot, M., Moens, M., Goudman, L., David, R., Rigoard, P., & Billot, M. (2023). Management of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms by yoga: an overview. BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 23(1), 258.