Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Shares About Past Struggles with Depression
By Movieguide® Contributor
Dwayne Johnson recently opened up about the bouts of depression that he has faced.
“The first time depression hit me I was at the University of Miami,” Johnson said. “I came in. I was balling out. I was going to be the only freshman to play. And at that time we were national champions, defending national champions.”
Johnson’s dreams about football and a career in the NFL ended with a shoulder injury that prevented him from ever returning to the field.
“That sent me into a tailspin,” he said. “I didn’t want to go to school 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, is I just didn’t know what it was.”
“I didn’t know what mental health was. I didn’t know what depression was. I jest knew I didn’t want to be there. Wasn’t going to any of the team meetings. Wasn’t participating in anything,” Johnson continued.
Johnson would feel the same sort of melancholy and apathy years later while he was going through a divorce. At that time he still didn’t understand that he was struggling with mental health.
It wasn’t until his third bout of depression, in 2017, that he would reach out for help.
“Around 2017 or so, [I] went through [it] a little bit but knew what it was at that time, and luckily at that time I had some friends I could lean on and say, ‘Hey, you know I feel a little wobbly now. I got a little struggling happening. I’m seeing the gray and not the blue,’” he said.
More importantly for Johnson, he had his girls that he could look to for motivation.
“The saving grace for me has really been my daughters and being a girl dad,” Johnson said. “That’s been the saving grace because you look at them, and you realize, really this is what it’s all about. You look at the alternative to, how am I going to respond in this moment? What’s the best way that I can respond in this moment? Not now – they’re too young – but down the line, how can I help them.”
Having faced multiple bouts of depression with little support or understanding, Johnson now encourages other men to be honest about their feelings and be unashamed to reach out for help.
“As men, we didn’t talk about it. We just kept out head down and worked through it. Not healthy but it’s all we knew. If you’re going through your own version of mental wellness turning into mental hell-ness, the most important thing you can do is talk to somebody,” Johnsons said.
“Having the courage to talk to someone is your superpower,” he added. “I lost two friends to suicide. Talk to someone. Despite how you may feel, you’re never alone.”
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