Education and awareness about mental health issues is crucial to addressing and preventing the devastating effects they can have on individuals and families.
Former All Black Sir John Kirwan, in particular, has inspired a huge difference in Kiwis’ attitudes towards mental health by opening up about his own struggle with depression and advocating for the Mental Health Foundation. Other Kiwi names have also highlighted the importance of talking about it, including comedian Mike King, Lorde and Jay-Jay Harvey.
And now American actor Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who grew up in Auckland and still has family ties in New Zealand, has weighed in on the topic, taking to social media to speak about his mother’s suicide attempt.
In an Instagram post featuring an image of himself being filmed for a scene in American TV series, Ballers, ‘The Rock’ revealed:
“Not your typical scene on our comedy #ballers, as I cracked a beer open toasting my character’s brother, William who committed suicide.
“Got me thinkin’ though bout how many of us have been affected by suicide of our friends, family. Struggle and pain is real. We’ve all been there on some level or another.
“My mom tried to check out when I was 15. She got outta the car on Interstate 65 in Nashville and walked into oncoming traffic. Big rigs and cars swerving outta the way not to hit her. I grabbed her and pulled her back on the gravel shoulder of the road.
“What’s crazy about that suicide attempt is to this day, she has no recollection of it whatsoever. Probably best she doesn’t.”
He admitted that it was a difficult scene to shoot, and a reminder of the importance of being there for your loved ones:
“Shits of a scene to shoot – didn’t like it – but it did reminder that we always gotta do our best to really pay attention when people are in pain. Help ’em thru it, get ’em talkin’ about the struggle and remind ’em that they’re not alone.
“We got lucky that day when I was 15 and that ain’t always the case.”
People revealed that Johnson had previously shared this story in 2015 for OWN’s Oprah’s Master Class. He said that the incident had occurred after his parents had fought at a restaurant over lunch.
“In that moment, one of the greatest lessons I’ve ever learned was how precious life is and how in an instant, it can all go away,” he said. “[It] changed me.”
**If you or someone you know think you might need some support, here is a list of organisations you can contact:
Depression.org.nz – their 24/7 helpline number is: 0800 111 757
Youthline or free phone 0800 376 633
Lifeline 0800 543 354 or (09) 522 2999
