jonah hill's mental health ‘immeasurably better’ thanks to therapy
the “wolf of wall street” alum talks about his mental health journey and the work he has done with phil stutz, his therapist and long-time friend, in hill's new documentary 'stutz'
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jonah hill explains that he is putting his own vulnerability in the spotlight so other people facing mental health challenges will act and get help. (photo by andreas rentz/getty images)
actor jonah hill says he is feeling good these days, thanks to intensive therapy that is helping him deal with his anxiety and panic attacks, according to people magazine.
the “wolf of wall street” and “21 jump street” alum talks about his mental health journey in the documentary stutz, which takes a look at hill’s mental health journey and the work he has done with phil stutz, his therapist and long-time friend.
“i’m just going to acknowledge how odd this endeavour is — a patient making a movie about his therapist,” hill, 38, says in the trailer for the film. “but my life has gotten immeasurably better as a result of working with [stutz]. if it worked for me, maybe it will work for other people.”
hill has been up front about his decades-long battle with panic attacks and anxiety, and was “wildly insecure” as a kid. “the work has been accepting and feeling that it’s great to be this person,” he explains.
in an open letter released this august, hill explained he hopes the film will help reduce the stigma surrounding mental health.
“the whole purpose of making this film is to give therapy and the tools i’ve learned in therapy to a wide audience for private use through an entertaining film,” he wrote. “… i’m hoping to make it more normal for people to talk and act on this stuff. so they can take steps towards feeling better and so that the people in their lives might understand their issues more clearly.”
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jonah hill makes moves to respect his mental health
hill explains that he is putting his own vulnerability in the spotlight so other people facing mental health challenges will act and get help. as stutz tells hill in the trailer, “you can’t move forward without being vulnerable. vulnerability, connection to the rest of the world. you’re giving out the signal to the world, ‘i need you because i can’t do this by myself.’”
but that also means setting boundaries. in his letter from the summer, hill explained he would not be participating in the promotion of stutz because his anxiety attacks are exacerbated by media appearances and public-facing events. he is also not expected to take part in the press tour for his upcoming netflix comedy “you people,” which he stars in and co-produced with director kenya barris.
“if i made myself sicker by going out there and promoting it, i wouldn’t be acting true to myself or to the film,” hill wrote.
stutz is making the rounds at various film festivals this fall and is slated to premiere november 14 on netflix.
mental health challenges more common than you think
while living through the covid-19 pandemic has shone a light on mental health and its importance in handling work, childcare and other responsibilities, the reality is that as many as one in three canadians will be impacted by mental illness in their lifetime, according to health canada.
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experiencing mental distress is also common. each year, roughly 15 per cent of canadians seek out health services for a mental illness, and from 2016 to 2017, nearly 5.5 million canadians received these services. females are 30 per cent more likely to use health services for mental illness than males.
the use of mental health services among youth is also on the uptick. from 2000 to 2017, the proportion of canadians age 19 and under using these services increased by an average of 2.6 per cent per year. however, in 2016-17, canadians under 19 only made up 10.7 per cent of patients using health services for a mental health illness – the smallest proportion.
(these numbers come from the canadian chronic disease surveillance system, managed and updated annually by the public health agency of canada.)
talk therapy can help
researchers are increasingly recommending patients try behavioural and emotion-focused therapy before turning to medication, at least for some conditions like depression and adhd.
why? advances in neuroscience have revealed that life experiences alter our brains, so when we face stressful situations, learn something new, or activate our senses, the connections in our brains can change, according to mental health america. it’s called “neuroplasticity.”
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just as events and external situations can contribute to mental health concerns, some experiences, including therapy, can change brain structure to make the brain more resilient. what is interesting, too, is that therapy can also create long-term benefits by helping people develop skills to face new challenges on their own. the aim is to help people promote their own mental health without relying on therapists if a demanding situation comes up in the future.
karen hawthorne is a toronto-based writer.
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