Joe Pantoliano Admits Struggle with Depression

On Tuesday, actor Joe Pantoliano announced on the National Alliance on Mental Illness' blog that he has struggled with depression.

This week, October 8-13, is Mental Illness Awareness Week. This week is meant to raise awareness about and break down stigma regarding mental illness.

Joe Pantoliano's latest movie, "CANVAS" premiers in a few days on October 12 in New York and Chicago. He plays John Marino, the husband of a woman, played by Marcia Gay Harden, who discovers she has schizophrenia. The film depicts the family's struggle with the mental illness.

Actor Joe Pantoliano is an advocate for breaking down stigma surrounding mental illness in our society. He admits that he has struggled with depression in the past: "Making the movie has been part of a personal journey in coming to understand mental illness. That has included coming to understand myself - and my own struggle with clinical depression."

Depression is the most commonly diagnosed form of mental illness. Depressed individuals may feel sad, lonely, worthless, hopeless, helpless, guilty, and/or irritable. Depression affects eating and sleeping patterns as well. Additionally, individuals who are suffering from depression may not enjoy activities they typically do. They may also think about committing suicide. Sometimes individuals struggling with depression feel fatigued and may withdraw socially.

Pantoliano also suspects his mother may have struggled with bipolar disorder in her adult life: "As I became more knowledgeable about mental illnesses, their symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment, I am convinced that my mother, who died 25 years ago, spent her adult life living with bipolar disease."

He also asserts in the blog post that he believes if there hadn't been so much stigma surrounding mental illness years ago, that he would have had a different childhood.

Pantoliano has created a "No Kidding, Me Too" Coalition, which he intends entertainment celebrities to utilize to express their own experiences of mental illness. He hopes that this coalition can help raise awareness about mental health and break down social stigma.

He asserts that the goals of the movie CANVAS are to help people realize the possibilities that are available when we break down stigma surrounding mental illness and to free individuals with mental illness to express themselves and to seek treatment without fear of being looked down upon by society.

Pantoliano has also given People magazine an exclusive interview regarding his experience with depression. The interview can be found in this month's edition of the magazine.

For more information about mental illness, please visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness: www.nami.org.

In order to view the blog entry by Joe Pantoliano, please visit: www.blog.nami.org.

To learn more about Mental Illness Awareness Week, visit: http://www.mentalillnessawareness-me.org/.

Sources:

PR Newswire: Actor Joe Pantoliano Discloses Depression; Talks About His Latest Movie, and His Sensitive Side:
http://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?beat=BEAT_HEALTHCARE&view=LATEST&resourceid=3575432

National Alliance on Mental Illness Blog:
http://blog.nami.org/

Mental Illness Awareness Week: Depression:
http://www.mentalillnessawareness-me.org/admin/assets/depression.pdf