Hollywood is brimming over with stories of stars that have cracked under the pressure; some went for therapy after acknowledging their problems while others added to the astounding number of deaths caused by overdosing on drugs.

As time passes by, it makes one wonder even more what was really going on with our favourite stars like Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Anna Nichole-Smith, Heath Ledger, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Williams and so many others. For example, the whole truth behind Heath Ledger’s [Brokeback Mountain (2005), The Dark Knight (2008)] tragic death in January 2008 will likely never be known as he accidentally overdosed on sleeping pills, painkillers and anxiety drugs not long after revealing to the New York Times that he’d been suffering from insomnia. He was only 28. After his death, people reported his depression and reckless behavior after his breakup with actress Michelle Williams, the mother of his then two-year-old daughter.

But for a lucky few things didn’t turn out all that bleak or ominous.

For Winona Ryder, starring in and executive-producing the 1999 feature film Girl, Interrupted was a deeply personal experience. After her high-profile relationship with actor Johnny Depp ended, Ryder, then 19, suffered from alcohol abuse, experienced anxiety attacks and spiralled into depression. After falling asleep with a lit cigarette, Ryder briefly sought treatment at a mental institution and then with a private therapist.

The laid-back public persona of Owen Wilson had a darker side where he battled drug addiction in 2007, with reports of his attempted suicide at his California home. However, Wilson ‘bounced back’ after spending time with family and close friends.

When model and actress Paulina Porizkova was voted off ABC’s Dancing with the Stars in 2007, it led to anxiety attacks for which she sought out therapy. Just before David Arquette and wife Courteney Cox announced their separation in late 2010, the actor was spotted dancing and behaving erratically at nightclubs. Arquette soon checked himself into a rehab center to address his alcohol abuse and depression.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, March 22nd , 2015

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