The Rock Nails Why We Should Talk Openly About Depression

In an interview with Ross King on the U.K. morning show “Lorraine,” actor and former wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson shared why opening up about depression was so important to him.

In 2015, Johnson had opened up to Oprah about his history of depression. This year in an interview with Express, he told the publication, “I reached a point where I didn’t want to do a thing or go anywhere. I was crying constantly.”

When King told Johnson his openness about depression was inspirational, Johnson said he was happy to share his story if it helped someone else.

“Depression doesn’t discriminate,” he said in the interview, which aired on Friday. “I thought that was an important part of the narrative… Regardless of who you are, or what you do for a living, or where you come from, it doesn’t discriminate and we all kind of go through it.”

Johnson said the most important part of opening up about depression is the revelation that it’s OK for people — especially men — to talk about it. He said:

The key thing about that, the most important part about that, about talking about my past in terms of depression, is the revelation and for us to be OK embracing it, especially us guys, as men.

He said men might have a tough time “owning” their depression because they’re scared of being vulnerable — which makes it that much more important for men to speak out. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the prevalence of depression is higher among adult females than males — but men die by suicide at a rate almost four times more often than women.

“I was an only child. I kept that bottled up, like deep, deep down, and it wasn’t good,” Johnson said. “So happy to share my story.”

Why do you open up about your depression? Tell us in the comments below.