Billy Joel
Depression
When was Billy diagnosed with depression?
Billy claims that "I was in New York on 9/11/01, and it had a devastating impact on me." He states that he fell into a deep state of depression and started drinking.
How did he deal with his depression at the time?
Billy says that a big reason why he continued writing music and eventually recovered was because of Malala Yousafzai. He states that although she was "shot by the Taliban" she was never cowed. Billy argued "We need people like that. I get inspired by people like that."
How is Billy treated due to his depression?
At the time that his depression became public and it was obvious he was drinking away the pain, the media responded negatively to his condition. In some cases, celebrities are treated with love and compassion but in Billy's case, the media reacted with criticism. His depression was not his fault, and I feel that he fell into a bad state of depression and alcoholism due to the negative impact the media had on his life.