Al Pacino is one of Hollywood’s most well-known actors. The actor has been in the business for over five decades and has been in classic films such as The Godfather Parts 1, 2, and 3. The celebrity, who has battled mental illness for many years, has not always found notoriety easy.
Pacino’s breakthrough performance in The Godfather earned him Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. Pacino’s mental health began to deteriorate after the film was released and he was thrown into the spotlight.
Lee Strasberg, a director and actor at the time, counselled the struggling young actor to simply “adapt to his new existence.”
However, Pacino admitted that it is not that simple.
Pacino said on The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, “I went through some crap. I went to counseling five days a week for 25 years.”
The actor acknowledged that his character in The Godfather II, Michael Corleone, suffered from depression.
The same thing happened in The Humbling, where he played an aging actor who had an affair with a younger woman.
“As the character gets older, the sentiments he has for his work become less available to him, so he attempts to compensate and becomes a little off and confused, and slips into a type of despair that reflects itself in his work,” he continued. He was initially lured to the job due to the character’s “tragic collapse,” he explained.
Despite admitting to having had troubles in the past, the actor recently stated that he considers himself “lucky” and “spared” for not having faced the challenges that some of his fellow actors regrettably did and continue to experience.
During the Venice Film Festival, he stated, “I might be depressed, but I’m not sure about it.”
“People suffer from depression, which is extremely unhappy, can last a long period, and is dreadful.”
“I am aware of that because I have previously experienced comparable symptoms, but not to the same extent.” “I consider myself fortunate and fortunate to have been spared.”
Following Robin Williams’ tragic suicide in 2014, the actor’s mental health became a source of worry.
Pacino attempted to reduce his workload in the 1980s by only appearing in a few films. When asked about his time away from the camera, he stated, “It was beneficial for me. It appealed to me.”
According to the World Health Organization, 5% of adults worldwide suffer from depression. That equates to around 280 million people worldwide.
The disorder can lead to suicide and is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide.
Despite being one of the most common mental health illnesses, the vast majority of persons affected do not obtain treatment.
According to the NHS, everyone will experience depression at some point in their lives, but when the illness takes control of your life and hinders you from performing daily chores, it becomes a problem.
Stress and negative life experiences are just two of the many possible causes of depression. There are also links between depression and physical well-being. Depression, for example, can be caused by cardiovascular disease.
Depressive symptoms may include the following, according to the NHS:
persistent depression or sadness
Being hopeless and powerless
Because I have a low self-esteem, I am moved to tears by feelings of remorse, anger, and intolerance toward others.
a lack of motivation or passion for activities
having difficulty making decisions
Not having any fun in life
Feeling scared or concerned about harming or killing oneself.
Other physical indicators include:
A slower rate of movement or speech than normal weight or appetite changes (usually decreased, but sometimes increased)
Constipation
Unaccounted-for aches and pains
insufficient energy
Drive of poor quality (loss of libido)
changes in the menstrual cycle
Sleep disorders include difficulty falling asleep or waking up unusually early in the morning.
The disorder can also have a negative social influence, causing a person to avoid friends or neglect interests and hobbies.
Following a diagnosis, doctors will describe the severity of the illness. Depression can range from mild to moderate to severe. The most severe form of depression, in which daily life is practically impossible to navigate.
If you have worries about your mental health or the mental health of someone you know, see a doctor as soon as possible. If someone is suffering suicidal thoughts, The Samaritans can be reached at 116 123 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
