‘I've got a very irregular head. I'm not anything that you think I am...' The stars who have spoken about living with schizophrenia

Mental disorders do not distinguish between gender, race or profession. In fact, some famous faces have had to cope with some illnesses such as schizophrenia - which can cause hallucinations, delusions and paranoia - which affects every aspect of their lives. Read on to discover the well known people who have lived with schizophrenia...

The singer is one of the few artists who has spoken openly about his mental disorders. During an interview in 2019 on 'The Doctors', Aaron said: "The official diagnosis is that I suffer from multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia, acute anxiety and manic depression. This is my reality. Hi. I have nothing to hide."

Although she has not talked about an actual diagnosis, the 'Transformers' actress said in a 2009 interview with the British magazine Wonderland that she firmly believes that she suffers from schizophrenia. She said: "I definitely suffer from some kind of mental illness but I haven't pinpointed what it is. I have auditory hallucinations, paranoia and social dysfunction.” Megan described herself as "hysterical, neurotic, introverted and insecure".

Legendary Beach Boys musician Brian Wilson appeared in the documentary 'Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road'. The film gives an overlook of Brian's incredible career, with interviews from Wilson and musicians such as Sir Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Al Jardine, Taylor Hawkins, Don Was, Linda Perry, Nick Jonas and Jim James. In addition to showing his most iconic achievements, the film also delves into Wilson's mental health struggles, specifically his schizoaffective disorder diagnosis, which went untreated until he was properly diagnosed at age 50.

She is one of the most famous international female artists, and she has been living in a psychiatric hospital for over 40 years. In the 1950s, Kusama was diagnosed with schizophrenic symptoms, based on her overwhelming hallucinations. Despite this diagnosis, the artist says that her biggest mental struggle is with a debilitating anxiety. In her autobiography 'Infinity Net', Kusama wrote: “I fight pain, anxiety, and fear every day, and the only method I have found that relieves my illness is to keep creating art. I followed the thread of art and somehow discovered a path that would allow me to live.”

Illegal substances, alcohol, child abuse, destructive parents and self-harm are just some of the obstacles the 'Saturday Night Live' star faced in his life. After decades of therapy, relapses and hospitalizations, Hammond detailed in his memoir 'God, If You're Not Up There, I'm F*****: Tales of Stand-Up, Saturday Night Live and Other Mind-Altering Mayhem' that he was diagnosed with a variety of mental disorders, including bipolar disorder, manic depression and schizophrenia. Hammond opened up about it during an interview on Terry Gross' radio show ‘Fresh Air’, saying: "I've been in treatment since I was 19, and I'm 56. That's a couple of bucks and a long time.” He also revealed that he was on medication for much of his time on 'SNL'.

The acclaimed jazz musician has been able to courageously face schizophrenia, which he was diagnosed with in 1967. On stage he completely focuses on his music, not to mention he is the master of live improvisation. In a 1987 interview with Sun Sentinel during a four-night run of shows at Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harrell said that tranquilizers have become a regular part of his life. Without them, he loses concentration. He said: "Musicians are into the here and now - in the moment -that's the essence of concentration. One of my psychotic problems is never being in the moment. If you can concentrate, you overcome that. I have a tendency to worry about all the social mistakes I made in the past 15 minutes. I have to tell myself not to worry about anything but the present, otherwise I can't function musically.”

Considered one of the most beautiful women in the history of cinema, the American actress - nominated for an Oscar for her role in the 1945 film 'Leave Her To Heaven' - spent many years of her life struggling with her mental health. In 1943, when pregnant with her first daughter, Daria, Gene contracted Rubella at the Hollywood Canteen, and Daria was born with severe mental and physical problems. Many, including Gene herself, suggested that this event may have brought out her schizophrenia disorder. The star continued to act, but increasingly found her mental instability getting in the way of her career and personal life. In her autobiography, 'Self Portrait', she opened up about her struggle with the mental illness and what it was like for a patient to receive psychiatric care in mental hospitals in the 1950s. She said she was often subjected to crude treatment methods such as being wrapped in icy sheets and being given shock therapy.

The American musician, singer/songwriter and artist spent part of his life in psychiatric institutions, as he suffered from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, which is why his live performances were very brief and he always went on tour accompanied by a family member. Although he never talked publicly about his mental health struggles, he did confide in his close friends, Kathy McCarty and Brian Beattie, giving them a copy of the book, ‘The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders’. Beattie recalled: "He opened it up and read to us ‘schizophrenia’ and ‘manic depressive’ and he said, ‘If you’re gonna deal with me, you’re gonna need to understand these kind of symptoms because that’s what I’m like.’ I thought it was so careful of him to do that.”

The Hollywood icon was abandoned when she was just a child, a pain that accompanied her throughout her life and affected her mental health. Monroe devoted many hours to psychological therapies, especially psychoanalysis, and was even treated by more than four specialists who, after her death, confirmed that she suffered from schizophrenia, depression, borderline personality disorder and autism spectrum disorders. Anna Freud, daughter of psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, treated her while she was filming 'The Prince and the Showgirl' in London. In 1962, after Marilyn was found deceased, she said: "She presented emotional instability, exaggerated impulsivity, constant need for external approval, cannot stand loneliness, tendency to depressions in case of rejection, paranoid with schizophrenic outbursts".

Syd Barrett's life was a magnet with positive and negative poles. On the one hand, we had his amazing talent that led him to create the band Pink Floyd and their acclaimed debut LP 'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn' (1967) and his two solo albums, 'The Madcap Laughs' and 'Barrett', both released in 1970. But Syd also lived with schizophrenia, and exacerbated his mental health issues with substance use. Although he never publicly admitted his mental illness, in the last interview he ever gave to Rolling Stone’s Mick Rock in 1971, Syd confessed: "I don't think I'm easy to talk about. I've got a very irregular head. And I'm not anything that you think I am anyway."