Celebrities With Mental Disorders Quiz

Answer: Jim Carrey

Jim Carrey, born in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada in 1962, once shared this story about his ADHD: "I remember getting a report card which said, "Jim always gets his tasks completed first and then spends the rest of his spare time disrupting everyone else." The comedian shares that he was "pretty proud of himself" over that one.

Answer: Edwin Aldrin

Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin has to be saluted for the strength and perseverance he displayed under such massive pressure as a space mission would cause. It goes to show you that mental illness is not a barrier to one's life dreams. "Buzz" was the second man to walk on the surface of the moon.

Answer: Donald Trump

Donald Trump even refuses to shake hands with all but his most trusted and closest friends and family members. Maybe he should consider having a special "Celebrity Apprentice" program to find someone to push the buttons for him. I wonder what an elevator attendant would get paid to push buttons for Donald? I'd be glad to apply for that position.

Answer: Pink Floyd

After Pink Floyd 'left' Syd, he embarked on a solo career but after only a short time, he disappeared from the public eye. He re-emerged in the late 90s and 2000s and passed away July 7, 2006, after a tiring struggle with drugs, alcohol, and factors caused by his schizophrenia. Early Pink Floyd fans, including myself, agree that without his intuitive musical artistry, the band would not even exist.

Answer: Rodney Dangerfield

"I don't get any respect" was an oft-used punchline for Rodney Dangerfield. Born Jacob Cohen in 1921, he passed away in October 2004, just short of his 83rd birthday. He wasn't diagnosed until later in life due to lack of medical knowledge about depression and other mental illnesses.

A few years before his death, he entered hospital for brain surgery. When asked how long he would be in for, Rodney replied, "If everything goes well, a week or two. If it doesn't go well, about two hours." He never lost his sense of humour despite his long battle with the depression.

Answer: Princess Diana

As public a figure as Princess Diana was, very few knew of her battle with the serious eating disorder known as bulimia. The disorder is marked by eating and then purging what has been ingested by forcing oneself to throw up. She was known as "The People's Princess", and was a genuinely generous human being.

She was mostly renowned for her work in having landmines banned and removed from war-torn countries. In the question, I put the word "accident" in quotation marks as there has been several controversial theories as to whether the crash could have been avoided.

Answer: Jean-Claude Van Damme

Some argue that the title of "actor" doesn't apply to Jean-Claude. He's known as the "Muscles From Brussels" due to being born and raised in Belgium. His movies are well-known for cheesy taglines and Van Damme is not too adept at delivering his lines in convincing fashion.

He's had several bouts with alcohol and drug addiction, yet has successfully used his martial art skills as a focal point in his troubled life. He's been married five times and once even found himself broke and living in the streets of L.A.

His perseverance has paid off at the box office, despite his questionable acting ability. I say "Kudos" to him for making it this far.

Answer: Shawn Colvin

The hint gives the name of the song, "Sunny Came Home", which Shawn Colvin wrote about a disturbed pyromaniac. Many rumours began that the subject individual of the song had to be Shawn, because it was no secret that she suffered from crippling depression and anxiety disorder. Diagnosed at age eighteen with the disorders, she has openly shared that she lives a full and happy life since she began treatment with medication.

The song, "Sunny Came Home", is indeed a 'story' about an abused and depressed wife who burns down her birth home to rid her mind of all the terrible memories of her past. Shawn Colvin has assured fans and publicists that she is NOT the subject in the song, yet admits she used the song to help her work through her own potent feelings of depression and anxiety.

Answer: Howie Mandel

The Canadian entertainer, Howie Mandel, first came to the entertainment world's attention during his six year run as Dr. Wayne Fiscus on the TV medical drama, "St. Elsewhere". Today, he is still enjoying success as host of the game show, "Deal Or No Deal".

The position on the game show initially caused Howie a lot of angst because he was so terrified of shaking hands or having someone unexpectedly hug him due to excitement. Yet, he persevered for that very reason as he believed that taking the role of emcee would actually turn out to be therapeutic for him.

When he isn't doing comedy or trying to avoid handshakes and hugs from excited winners, he spends time talking about his struggle with his disorders with mental health educators and charities.

Answer: Dan Aykroyd

Dan Aykroyd played a great role in the movie, "Trading Places" and the clue within the question hinted towards the movie. Something else interesting about Dan, whom I met in Toronto at the Eaton's Centre and was able to confirm the following, is that he was also born with a rare condition called heterochromia.

This means he has two different coloured eyes, the right is green and the left is brown. Asperger's syndrome is a disorder is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests.

His movie career has brought us many corny, but extremely funny flicks such as; "Ghostbusters", "Trading Places", "The Blues Brothers", and "Tommy Boy".