Celebrities and poor mental health, why is it so common?

[loverboy.livejournal.com]

Veteran comedian Lee Kyung-kyu (52), who regularly appears on several TV shows, recently confessed that he has been taking medication to treat panic attacks for four months. The revelation has instantly turned the spotlight on mental disorders or depressions many people in showbusiness are vulnerable to.

"I constantly felt like I was suffocating and felt scared of dying," Lee said. His fans were shocked by his confession, as Lee always exuded a happy-go-lucky persona on TV as an entertainer skilled at making viewers laugh.

Panic disorders involve extreme feelings of anxiety or even panic attacks for no reason and occur unexpectedly. Over the past several years, a growing number of entertainers have admitted to suffering from similar problems. Singer Kim Jang-hoon fainted last October as he was about to go on stage for a concert in Seoul and had to be hospitalized. He complained of lethargy, insomnia and a rapid heart rate.


Meanwhile, actor Cha Tae-hyun (36), famous for his comedic roles, told viewers last year that he too was wrestling with a panic disorder. "I began to suffer from the disease when a top actor was cast for a role in a rival TV drama after the show I was appearing in continued to do poorly in ratings," Cha confessed. He also recalled that he fainted during a flight and asked for an oxygen mask. And on one occasion he had to call an ambulance 30 minutes before a concert in the U.S.

Actress Kim Ha-neul admitted to a similar problem while playing a visually impaired person in the movie "Blind" last year. "My sense of panic also led to claustrophobia and I found it really difficult to film for more than two hours inside a small space," she said.

Jun Jin of the veteran boy band Shinhwa said he often fretted irrationally about the stage collapsing when he was performing, while actress Ha Yoo-mi said she literally got tongue-tied on stage as a panic attack led to the temporary paralysis of her tongue and face.

Singer Choi Jeong-won of the former boy duo UN recalled having to quit his singing career when his panic disorder worsened in 2006, causing his hands and feet to tremble and giving him difficulty breathing while recording albums.

Experts say that two to three out of every 100 people suffer from panic disorders in Korea, while the disease afflicts 11 percent of Americans. They say almost twice as many women are affected as men.

"People who are ambitious, who are perfectionists and who have stage fright often tend to suffer from panic disorders," said Park Jin-saeng, a psychiatrist who treated actress Choi Jin-sil for depression before she killed herself in 2008. "Entertainers or politicians have greater chances of suffering from those kinds of disorders than other people," he added.

Park said that celebrities get energized when their popularity soars, but when they are no longer in the limelight, they feel a sense of loss and become anxious, often resulting in insomnia, depression, and over-reliance on medication.

source: The Chosun Ilbo

Comments

[x-taehee.livejournal.com]

Panic attacks are awful.
I also have some now and then.

[izabera.livejournal.com]

That video was interesting, the part where one of them explained his career would end at the time most people's careers are taking off felt relevant too.
It must be really tough mentally for entertainers and idols in particular to know their careers come with a short "expiry date" :(

[izabera.livejournal.com]

This "only as good as your last game/performance/etc" pressure from the public is insane for both athletes and entertainers. I remember watching a group of men screaming at a guy who missed a penalty that he should go die. When you take a step back, you wonder what that could do to someone in a fragile state of mind.

I know some people think they are trained to deal with this, but honestly I don't see how that wouldn't have an effect. Even someone really strong mentally can only shrug this off so many times. It's also revolting to think some of the people who tell a performer to go kill themselves actually mean it.

By the way, I think it's awesome that this comes from rugby players, because men are still quite bad as getting help for mental issues.

[laeryn.livejournal.com]

I've only had a panic attack once, last year about this time of the year, bc of personal reasons, and I can't imagine living knowing that those are going to be a "normal" thing, that I'm gonna have them often. Like, I'd be even more paranoid about myself than I already am :/

But I kind of get it - they do have a lot of pressure. It has to show somewhere, and that's normally how it ends. It sucks :( And my comment too, but :/

[geniebsmart.livejournal.com]

Panic attacks ate not fun. My heart goes out to these people and others who suffer from it.

[weerainbow.livejournal.com]

Living in that kind of high pressure, uncertain environment is bound to make anyone with this or similar disorders/issues worse :( I wonder if those who have suffered more because of their position feel it's worth it. I really hope people (all over the world as well as in Korea) become more open to talking about things like this and offering more support, not just medication.

[a-cheshire-grin.livejournal.com]

Since years I suffer from depressions, so I understand what those people go through. It's a terrible feeling when you have no control over the way you feel and act.

You can feel okay one moment and the next moment it's like your whole life is tumbling down on you.

[turdferguson.livejournal.com]

i really hope that they're getting help. mental health issues are often overlooked in asia as well as asian american communities and it's really unfortunate.

[asnindie.livejournal.com]

Just imagine how competitive it is, especially something like Korea where you need to re-create yourself continuously to stay relevant. It's alot of pressure so panic attacks aren't surprising. Not to mention schedules and timing s must really screw up people's patterns of sleeping etc. It's really not the healthiest job.

[black-silver.livejournal.com]

This comment is kind of derailing, know what I mean?

...you're a little defensive. They get paid more than I would if I worked for 15 years.
I don't understand how their salary in comparison to yours is relevant in this conversation. Maybe you could elaborate for us how that proves sobaek's defensiveness?

You are directing the anger you should be putting towards the company to their nay sayers.
Can anger be directed at both the company and the naysayers? I think a complex problem such as this can certainly have more than one locus of accountability, no?

You need criticism to grow as a person and as an artist.
Certainly, but I don't think death threats count as criticism, do you? I don't think body shaming is constructive in any workplace. "You need to strengthen your vocal performance" sounds different than "you are an ugly worthless talentless piece of shit who doesn't deserve to be born" etc. etc., right?

I agree with the bulk of what you'd said in the third part of your comment, but company pressure also doesn't exist in a vacuum -- the company does market research on popular trends and general consensus of what sells, and the pressures they then put on their employees(/products) are a reflection of market demands. Now, who composes that market? Whose opinions are attached to that money? Whose excessive demands do these companies continually try to appease, whether that entails enacting dating bans, assigning surgeries, or overloading their schedules?

My point in asking you this is, again, to highlight the complexity of the pressure under which these celebrities operate, and to point out that it's not solely the companies who ought to be held responsible -- should they hold the bulk of the responsibility? Yes, because it is their decisions and regulations which more or less dictate their employees' actions/work (and life) conditions. If companies could decide to ignore certain pressures or, better yet, make arrangements to protect their employees from (what many people would deem excessive and outrageous) outside pressures instead of outright caving to those pressures, then obviously that would be preferable. However, as things are what they are, I think it was unreasonable to call sobaek defensive or dismiss her anger as wholly misdirected.

Additionally, about your last line: They are adults. It's their responsibility to reach for help if they need it.
Again, these celebrities do not live in some ideal space in which help--premium quality, risk-free, judgment-free help--is readily available for the picking, if only one thought to reach out one's hand. Also, they do not live in a culture in which mental disorders are accepted as legitimate illnesses (and yes, cultural environment matters, because it translates to yet another source of pressure). True, as celebrities they have access to certain resources which others might not, but it takes a certain amount of courage even to admit to having a mental disorder of any sort, much less to actively seek out treatment. And because they have jobs and live in an environment in which public image is so important? When that public is composed of people who generally stigmatize the shit out of their problems? More obstacles, more complications. And FURTHERMORE, if they were to seek therapy (whether counseling or medical) for their disorder -- is every counselor necessarily compatible with every patient? Is every medication guaranteed to work for every person? Without side effects or risk of addiction? How much time to they have to devote to these self-care issues, given their rigorous schedules? And when a person is already suffering from a condition, do you think that person would just calmly and rationally accept his/her "adult responsibility" and obediently walk him/herself into treatment? No. It's not so simple as "they're adults, so they should help themselves."

[black-silver.livejournal.com]

The poster put ALL the blame on anti-fans when they are truly a small part of the problem.
I read her comment again, and I don't think she put ALL the blame on anti-fans, as you claim. She chose to focus partly on anti-fans, but her comment also addresses things like company pressure, the industry/mental health support system, and stressful individual circumstances (re: Super Junior's member changes).

I mentioned the salary because I wanted to highlight there are positives to being a famous [sic].
Was anyone denying that there were advantages to fame? I still don't see how that's relevant. I feel like you're saying that because they make a lot of money, they shouldn't complain about their other problems. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I wasn't addressing that particular group of anti-fans to begin with. I don't believe anti-fans who write letters in their period blood and tell people to die are rational human beings who are capable of giving constructive criticism, do you?
In sobaek's comment, she was addressing irrational anti-fans, so for you to redirect the conversation to constructive criticism is another derailment. sobaek wasn't saying that constructive criticism is unreasonable or to blame for mental distress; she was making the point that crazed fans who send death threats were part of the problem. If you want to start another conversation about how public figures should not shy away from constructive criticism, that's totally fine, but don't substitute one for the other.

Let me tell you this: the crazed fans are often nurtured by the companies themselves. They need you to be attached and to feel overprotective of these artists. What do all the popular KPOP stars have in common? A strong, vocal and very protective core fandom. Management companies fan the flames of fanwars for what reason? Think about it.
I hope we can agree that fans (being consumers) are not entirely devoid of self-control and free will. Their behaviour, which is admittedly easy to manipulate, is ultimately not out of their hands. Participation in fandoms/fanwars is voluntary. I think it would be remiss to act as though management companies set certain conditions and then "let nature take its course," as it were. In other words, the fans still bear responsibility for their actions.

Re: the parts about Korea being a country obsessed with appearance and kpop stars having grown up in this kind of environment/under this pressure -- Are you suggesting that because they have spent their entire lives dealing with this, it should no longer bother them? That's actually something I hadn't considered. But on the flip side, I wonder if that could also translate to them needing even more help, since they've had to endure it for so long? Might it not have built up to even more personal trauma and even more suffocating pressure, given that they are so familiar with the heavy consequences of even a miniscule slip-up?

Even with all the pressures and the negatives that come with being famous I guarantee you that the majority of KPOP performers wouldn't give up the life they have right now. There must be positives.
Again, I don't think anyone is arguing that there are no perks to fame. Neither sobaek nor this article were trying to make that assertion.

(cont'd)

[black-silver.livejournal.com]

Stars like G-Dragon, Seo In Young and Hwayobi have confessed to suffering from depression and bulimia and proceeded to reach out for treatment overseas. I know there is a strong stigma surrounding mental illness but they don't necessarily have to let everyone know about their problems. They can do so quietly without fanfare.
I hope they and others do seek treatment, whether publicly or quietly, but your comment reads like a "Well this is what I would do, so why can't they just make the same choice?" I don't think any of us are in any position to tell them how to solve their problems or make personal decisions for them. Maybe they have their own reasons for not seeking treatment quietly without fanfare -- perhaps they are bothered by their own internalized stigma, or they would rather not experience the vulnerability that comes with seeking treatment. Who knows? Ultimately, it's not for us to say "Well here's what's available, so you should do it instead of complaining."

Like I said in my original comment SNSD have said that they want counselling [sic]. Isn't that not taking responsibility and wanting to reach out? These idols have enough time to date and spent time with friends. They can surely fit in time to visit a counsellor [sic] for 30 minutes once or twice a week. They are not without accountability.
On the contrary, I think their willingness to make that statement is already a step forward on their part -- admitting that they would like help (particularly for people in their line of work & cultural milieu, as we'd discussed) is part of taking responsibility and reaching out. As for "if they can date & hang out with friends they can surely fit in time for counseling" -- this reads again like "Well this is what I would do if I were in your place, so why can't you just do that and stop complaining?" You are not in their place. You do not live their lives, embody their thoughts or experiences, or have to deal with the consequences of their actions, including how they spend their free time. It's generally not helpful to make these assertions. Seeking counseling is not the same as running an errand. It's not anyone else's place to judge any of their personal decisions.

I got the impress [sic] while reading your comment that you don't put any responsibility on the people themselves, like they have no accountability at all. I don't understand that. It's not as if these artists are poor, disadvantaged and without any means of getting help. They are not helpless victims.
As I'd stated in my previous response to you, it's that they are poor or disadvantaged, but that "help" comes with certain risks in and of itself. There's more to consider than just "help is there, so go get it." I'd like to think I'm coming from a more compassionate place when I say that people who suffer from mental disorders and related issues need encouragement and support, not judgment, guilt, nor shame. I absolutely hope that they (and anyone else who needs it) can find the strength and mental resolve to seek treatment and to continue to take care of themselves, but I think it's crucial for observers to understand that it's not as simple as making one doctor's appointment or taking one bottle of pills.

In the end, though, I do think we are fighting for the same cause -- regardless of the root of these problems, we hope people get the help they need. I just don't think it's productive to say "if you don't get help, it's your own fault," because that ultimately achieves nothing.

[black-silver.livejournal.com]

Sort of OT: about submitting a photo of yourself with your resume in Korea -- yeah, they also do that in Germany! I was a bit taken aback when I found out, but I actually don't think it's that uncommon a practice in some countries.

[4minutesluts.livejournal.com]

"Experts say that two to three out of every 100 people suffer from panic disorders in Korea, while the disease afflicts 11 percent of Americans. They say almost twice as many women are affected as men."

lol do they really think that rates are drastically different there, instead of just being vastly under-reported?

[bananaclaw.livejournal.com]

MTE

[shampoo.livejournal.com]

the stigma surrounding mental disorders in south korea is a huge factor in why mental disorders are so prevalent and end in suicide. it's really infuriating to me as someone pursuing a career in psychiatry that there are legitimate psychologists and psychiatrists in south korea, as well as numerous professionals who conduct really impressive research for scientific journals, who ignore the fact that their culture plays such an enormous role in mental disorders and how they're treated. and the psychiatrist cited in this article as saying that celebrities have an over-reliance on medication—really? if anything, there's an under-reliance on medication in cultures like south korea's, where taking medication is so taboo that you're told not to let anyone in your workplace know about the anti-anxiety drugs or anti-depressants you're taking for fear of losing your job. many people don't take medication simply because they're afraid of what other people will think. what there's an over-reliance on is the notion that mental disorders are things that people should be able to overcome on their own and without any real treatment, whether that treatment is medication or therapy.

[4minutesluts.livejournal.com]

completely agree (except for the pursuing a career in psychiatry bit)

[evivante.livejournal.com]

Worst feelings in the world, I wouldn't even wish it on my greatest enemy.