The former Spice Girls said she suffered from depression. An important testimony on a disorder which affects many people and which remains stigmatized.
With the meteoric success of the Spice Girls in the 90s, Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton, Melanie Brown, Victoria Beckham and Melanie Chisholm rose to fame, tours, music videos … In an interview with the Guardian, Sporty Spice recounts the pressure that accompanied his sudden fame. Significant stress, which overwhelmed her. “When I had lows in my career, it was terribly hard. I was vulnerable, and the tabloids were cruel and heartless. I got sick from it. […] I struggled with disorders eating behavior and I suffered from depression. […] Much of my life was out of control. So I took care of the last things I could still manage: my diet and my body. have been underweight for many years. It was also very hard psychologically ", she says.
Melanie C adds that her troubles were accompanied by a form of guilt, which only made them worse. "I had what I had always dreamed of, and I was desperately miserable. We often forget that public figures are human.", says the singer. She also tells of the difficulty of being able to ask for help when one suffers from psychological disorders. “You have to get to the time you are ready to receive help – that's the hardest part of getting better. People around me knew it was wrong, but I was ashamed and I didn't. didn't see how to get out of it, so I avoided them. When the time came, I went to the professionals. Remember this: you deserve a better life. I keep telling myself and others ", she explains. For Sporty Spice, finding this help was a big step forward: putting a name on what you're suffering is an important first step.
Melanie C's testimony is important because depression and eating disorders are still stigmatized. However, they affect many people, especially women. A study by Public Health France published in 2017 revealed that depression affected men twice as much as women and, according to Inserm, 15 to 20% of the French population is affected by this disorder.
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To read also: Depression: how to get out of it?
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