In 2018, celebrity Wil Wheaton delivered a speech about his life-long struggles with depression and anxiety. He was speaking at the Ohio statewide conference of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), a grassroots advocacy group, representing people affected by mental illness in the United States.
He began by saying: “My life is, by every objective measurement, very very good. And in spite of all of that, I struggle every day with my self-esteem, my self-worth, and my value not only as an actor and writer, but as a human being. That’s because I live with Depression and Anxiety, the tag team champions of the World Wrestling with Mental Illness Federation.”
He went on to talk about knowing something was wrong with him, but not knowing what.
“I wish I had known that I had a mental illness that could be treated! I wish I had known that that the way I felt wasn’t normal and it wasn’t necessary. I wish I had known that I didn’t deserve to feel bad, all the time.”
The entire speech, published by Medium, takes about 18 minutes to read.
His talk describes his experiences in vivid detail. And it shines a light on the stigma surrounding his illness, including his family’s reluctance to discuss it. It wasn’t until he was in his thirties that he finally sought treatment.
The speech contains insights that may be helpful if there’s someone in your life with a mental illness or you’re experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression yourself while playing the role of a family caregiver.
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