The Skyscraper star appeared on ITV's Lorraine recently, and a discussion of his newborn daughter led to Johnson talking about his lifetime battles with mental illness.
"Depression doesn't discriminate, and I thought that was an important part of the narrative if I was going to share a little bit of my story of the past," he said.
"Regardless of who you are or what you do for a living or where you come from, it doesn't discriminate, we all kind of go through it. If I could share a little bit of it and if I could help somebody, I'm happy to do it."
Johnson noted that the conversation - and ongoing stigma - around depression needs to change with men. "There's just a DNA, a wiring in us and a constitution that oftentimes doesn't let us talk about when we're scared or vulnerable or things like that," the actor said.
"It's kind of like what's been deemed as 'toxic masculinity.' You've got to talk about it and you're not alone. I was an only child and I kept that bottled in, deep, deep. It wasn't good, so [I am] happy to share my story."
Earlier in 2018, Johnson opened up about his family's history with mental illness in a lengthy Instagram post detailing his mother's suicide attempt when the actor was just 15.
"Struggle and pain is real," he wrote. "We’ve all been there on some level or another."
The Rampage star then took to Twitter to further explain his own battles.
"We all go thru the sludge/shit and depression never discriminates," he wrote. "Took me a long time to realize it but the key is to not be afraid to open up. Especially us dudes have a tendency to keep it in. You’re not alone."
Got tons of responses to this. Thank you. We all go thru the sludge/shit and depression never discriminates. Took me a long time to realize it but the key is to not be afraid to open up. Especially us dudes have a tendency to keep it in. You’re not alone
fxn.ws/2pYmsMS
As anyone with a working pair of eyeballs might have guessed, Johnson has said that he primarily deals with sadness by exercising.
"My knee-jerk reaction to sadness is some sort of action," he said during the Rampage press tour. "I like to go do something. For me, the going to do something, it sounds boring and cliche, but it is what it is with me, I gotta hit the gym."
He's on to something. Studies have shown that getting active can cut a person's risk of depression by 19 percent. But what's important is recognizing you have a problem in the first place. If you ever notice one of the eight symptoms of depression, there are numerous ways to seek help for depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses.
Share your own moment of #HowIGotHelp and let your voice inspire other men.For more information on how to get help for anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues, please check out our list of resources. If you would like to locate treatment services in your area, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Treatment Referral Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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