Dwayne Johnson reveals he has struggled with ‘two, three bouts of depression’

But back then, Johnson didn’t know what it was. “I didn’t know what mental health was. I didn’t know what depression was. I just knew I didn’t want to be there, wasn’t going to any of the team meetings, wasn’t participating in anything,” he said, adding that not being able to work out due to his injury made what he was going through even tougher as an athlete.

He experienced his second bout of depression when he got a divorce from his ex-wife Dany Garcia. “Years later, and went through it again when I got a divorce… Didn’t know what it was,” Johnson said.

The Black Adam star then recalled his third bout of depression in 2017. “[I] knew what it was at that time. And luckily, at that time, I had some friends who I could lean on and say, ‘You know, I’m feeling a little wobbly now. Got a little struggle happening. I’m seeing a little grey and not the blue,'” Johnson said.

Throughout his mental health struggles, his saving grace has been his three daughters, the actor admitted. “Because you look at them, and you release, ‘Well, I mean, really, this is what it’s all about.'”

Following the release of his podcast episode, Johnson took to Instagram to share that he has worked hard over the years to gain the emotional tools to work through his mental pain. “But years ago, I didn’t know what mental health struggle was. As men, we didn’t talk about it. We just kept our heads down and worked through it.”

He suggested people going through any mental health issues talk to somebody. “It can’t be fixed if you keep that pain inside. Having the courage to talk to someone is your superpower. I lost two friends to suicide. Talk to someone. Despite how you may feel, you are never alone,” he added.

Talking about such episodes of depression, Dr Harsha GT, Consultant, Psychiatrist, Manipal Hospital, Yeshwanthpur, Bangalore said that depression or depressive disorder is not a continuous illness. “It is usually episodic and may last for 6-8 months, if left untreated. Every episode is treated to avoid disability-adjusted life years, complications like suicide, and also to prevent further depressive episodes,” he said.

Agreeing, Dr Sachin Baliga, Consultant, Psychiatry, Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road, Bengaluru said that “a bout of depression is an episode where for a protracted period of time, individuals experience a constant sense of sadness or low mood, decreased energy levels, feelings of lack of self-esteem and confidence, poor concentration, a prominently negative outlook towards things, feelings of worthlessness, and harbouring recurrent thoughts of death. Along with this, individuals also experience significant changes (either increase or decrease) in sleep and appetite.”

Dr Harsha shared that depression can impair attention and concentration, impair memory, and affect cognition. “It can cause hopelessness, worthlessness, indecisiveness, and when severe, can cause suicidal thoughts and ideas,” the psychiatrist shared, adding that depression can also cause certain noticeable physical symptoms like headache, gastrointestinal symptoms, bodily pains, excessive fatigue or low energy, decreased or increased sleep, decreased or increased appetite, and various other symptoms too.

“The same when happens continuously can put us to risk of developing hypertension, diabetes, and other chronic disorders. When depressive episodes happen more than one time, it is referred to as recurrent depressive disorder,” the expert said.

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