Dwayne Johnson opened up about his struggle with depression when he appeared on The Pivot podcast on Friday. Johnson said he was dealing with depression after he injured his shoulder at the University of Miami and lost his opportunity to play football.
“I didn’t want to go to school,” the actor said on the podcast. “I was ready to leave. I left school. I didn’t take any midterms, and I just left. But the interesting thing, at that time, I just didn’t know what it was. I didn’t know what mental health was. I didn’t know what depression was. I just knew I didn’t want to be there, wasn’t going to any of the team meetings, wasn’t participating in anything.”
Years later, Johnson said he faced depression again after a divorce. The Hollywood star added he still didn’t understand what was happening to him at that time. Johnson thanks his three daughters for helping him turn things around.
“You look at them, and you realize, ‘Well, I mean, really, this is what it’s all about,'” he said.
In an Instagram post on Friday, The Rock said he had gained the emotional tools to overcome mental pain.
“Years ago I didn’t know what mental health struggle was,” he said. “As men, we didn’t talk about it. We just kept our head down and worked thru it. Not healthy but it’s all we knew. If you’re going thru your own version of mental wellness turning into mental hell-ness, the most important thing you can do is talk to somebody.”
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While encouraging others to seek help, Johnson revealed he lost two friends to suicide.
“It can’t be fixed if you keep that pain inside,” he said. “Having the courage to talk to someone is your superpower. I lost two friends to suicide. Talk to someone. Despite how you may feel, you’re never alone.”
