An Emmy Award winner, Jessica Lange is known for portraying tense characters with difficult pasts. She plays one of these in Cape Fear, a psychological suspense. Lange, who tackles these difficult subjects on screen, has also struggled off-screen; she has previously disclosed that she suffers from depression.
The 73-year-old actress is well-known in her field for becoming the 13th person to win an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, and a Tony Award during her career. Outside of acting, Lange opened up about her “evil side” in 2016, saying it “hugely influences” every role she plays.
As a result, it occasionally harmed the celebrity’s mental health, with depression causing some concerning signs, especially before the actress had her own family.
Lange opened up about her mental health in a flashback interview after receiving her Oscar nomination for Blue Sky, in which she played a housewife with bipolar disorder. She admitted that “bouts of depression” kept her from getting out of bed before the birth of her children.
“When my family arrived, I felt connected to life for the first time, and the restlessness that had plagued me since I was a young girl vanished,” she said.
“I used to have significant depressive episodes; I say this despite not having had severe depressive symptoms in a long time, and it’s possible that I still do.”
“When I lived alone, I could stay in bed for a week without leaving, but you can’t allow yourself to stay too long in those pits when you have kids.”
Despite this, “my dark side continues to play a significant role in whatever capacity I have to be creative – that’s the well I’m able to tap into where all the misery, wrath, and despair are housed,” according to the author.
The actress said she had and still has “tremendous mood swings,” which could interfere with her daily activities.
Like many other people around the world, Lange suffers from mental health issues such as depression. In reality, the Officer for National Statistics (ONS) discovered in early 2021 that one in every five (21% of adults) suffered from depression of some kind (27 January to 7 March). This represents an increase since November 2020. (19% of the total).
Furthermore, women and younger adults were found to be more likely to suffer from depression in some capacity, with 43 percent of people aged 16 to 29 reporting depressive symptoms.
Even more concerning, University College London (UCL) researchers discovered that the COVID-19 epidemic contributed to the clinical depression of an additional 60,000 secondary school students in England.
The symptoms of depression can vary from person to person. This is because different types of depression emerge in different situations. Various depression illnesses, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIH), can include the following:
Persistent depressive disorder is a depressive state that lasts at least two years (also known as dysthymia). Major depressive episodes may coexist with milder symptomatic periods, but symptoms must last at least two years.
Postpartum depression refers to major depression that occurs during or after childbirth. Because of the intense grief, worry, and weariness that it brings, postpartum depression can make it difficult for new mothers to carry out daily care tasks for themselves or their children.
Psychotic depression occurs when a person has both severe depression and a psychotic condition, such as frightening delusions or the ability to hear or see disturbing things that others cannot (hallucinations). The depressive “theme,” such as guilt, poverty, or disease illusions, is frequently present in psychotic symptoms.
Seasonal affective disorder is distinguished by the onset of depression during the winter when there is less direct sunlight. Winter depression, which often subsides in the spring and summer, may reoccur year after year and be characterized by social isolation, increased sleep, and weight gain.
Others may experience depression for no apparent reason. Clinical depression causes various symptoms that can affect a person’s physical and mental health. These are as follows:
Persistent melancholy or sadness
Being hopeless and powerless
Because I have low self-esteem, I am moved to tears by changes in weight or appetite (usually decreased, but sometimes increased)
Constipation
Aches and pains that were not anticipated
insufficient energy
A drive of low quality (loss of libido).
If you or someone you know is experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, the NHS recommends seeking medical attention, which can begin with a visit to your GP. It emphasizes the importance of seeing a doctor as soon as possible so that you can begin your recovery.
