Even the toughest people can break down.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is being commended for opening up about his battle with depression when he was 15 years old.
Related: The Rock’s 2-Year-Old Daughter Had A ‘Scary’ Medical Incident
The Rampage star got candid about his struggle one month after sharing the story of his mother’s suicide attempt on his Instagram page, revealing that the close call severely affected his mental health.
He explained to The Express:
“Struggle and pain is real. I was devastated and depressed. I reached a point where I didn’t want to do a thing or go anywhere. I was crying constantly.”
For Johnson, the “beast” of depression began to manifest after he watched his mother Ata try to kill herself by walking into oncoming traffic, months after they were evicted from their apartment.
He wrote in the post:
“Big rigs and cars swerving outta the way not to hit her. I grabbed her and pulled her back on the gravel shoulder of the road. What’s crazy about that suicide attempt is to this day, she has no recollection of it whatsoever. Probably best she doesn’t.”
Years after the scary incident, Johnson was let go from the Canadian Football League due to several injuries, shattering his dream of being a pro football player.
Shortly afterwards, his girlfriend broke up with him — which the actor calls his “absolute worst time,” adding that he could have easily grown suicidal like his mother had he not found the inner strength to carry on.
Related: Iggy Azalea Sought Treatment For Mental Health Issues
The Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle star decided to share the story after shooting a scene for the upcoming season of Ballers, which shows his character visiting the grave of a friend who committed suicide. While Johnson “didn’t like” filming the scene, he said it reminded him that we should do our best to “pay attention when people are in pain.”
Fans praised the actor for getting so real about his mental health struggles, which, in turn, made them feel less guilty about their own. Johnson commented on the big response Sunday night, reminding his followers that “depression never discriminates.”
Along with a like to a story covering his comments, he shared:
Got tons of responses to this. Thank you. We all go thru the sludge/shit and depression never discriminates. Took me a long time to realize it but the key is to not be afraid to open up. Especially us dudes have a tendency to keep it in. You’re not alone
https://t.co/ADHjYtGe3k
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) April 2, 2018
A hero on all fronts. Read the full story in his IG post (below):
Not your typical scene on our comedy #ballers, as I cracked a beer open toasting my character├óΓé¼Γäós brother, William who committed suicide. Got me thinkin├óΓé¼Γäó though bout how many of us have been affected by suicide of our friends, family. Struggle and pain is real. We├óΓé¼Γäóve all been there on some level or another. My mom tried to check out when I was 15. She got outta the car on Interstate 65 in Nashville and walked into oncoming traffic. Big rigs and cars swerving outta the way not to hit her. I grabbed her and pulled her back on the gravel shoulder of the road. What├óΓé¼Γäós crazy about that suicide attempt is to this day, she has no recollection of it whatsoever. Probably best she doesn├óΓé¼Γäót. Shits of a scene to shoot – didn├óΓé¼Γäót like it – but it did reminder that we always gotta do our best to really pay attention when people are in pain. Help ├óΓé¼╦£em thru it, get ├óΓé¼╦£em talkin├óΓé¼Γäó about the struggle and remind ├óΓé¼╦£em that they├óΓé¼Γäóre not alone. We got lucky that day when I was 15 and that ain├óΓé¼Γäót always the case.
A post shared by therock (@therock) on Feb 1, 2018 at 12:45am PST
[Image via WENN.]
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