The Price is Right host and Whose Line Is It Anyway? legend Drew Carey says that his two suicide attempts during his younger years “were calls for help.” Four decades later, he still sometimes finds himself needing support.
Carey, 65, has long been open about his struggles with mental health — as a young man, he twice tried to take his own life by swallowing pills, once when he was 18 years old and a second time at some point in his early 20s. In that stage of his life, Carey was a college student struggling to stay enrolled at Kent State University amid poor academic performance, but Carey found direction and a sense of purpose in the United States Marine Corps Reserve, serving as a field radio operator in Ohio for six years.
Fast forward to today — Carey is a beloved comedian, a wildly successful game show host and a standout union member whose decision to spend over $700,000 keeping protestors fed during the recent WGA and SAG strikes earned praise from across the entertainment industry. But for all the success and growth Carey’s experienced in the decades since his early life struggles, he still deals with some of the depressive thoughts that haunted him as a young man. During his recent appearance on Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?, Carey discussed his mental health as an ongoing
“I think the suicide attempts were calls for help,” Carey told Wallace, explaining how he made his first attempt while attending a fraternity party at Kent State. “I was so mad that everybody was having a good time. I remember that. I remember walking down the stairs and everybody’s drinking and I was like, ‘What the hell are they so happy about?’”
#James Donaldson notes: Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes. Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use. Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.#http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle Find out more about the work I do on my 501c3 non-profit foundation website www.yourgiftoflife.org Order your copy of James Donaldson’s latest book, #CelebratingYourGiftofLife: From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy
Carey continued, “I was just angry that they were so happy. I was just tired of my life and (thought), who’s gonna miss me?” While Carey has made significant strides in his struggle with depression over his illustrious career, he admits that thoughts similar to the ones that first drove him to self harm still come to him during dark moments. “I have a lot of that still,” Carey explained, “Like, the who’s-gonna-miss-me type of thing. A lot of times I think to myself, if I die, I’m just gonna have my body cremated. No funeral and anything associated with, like, all my mementos and stuff. You can just burn them and give them away. Like, who cares?”
“I still get depressed, often, just like everyone else,” Carey revealed, “but it’s not as bad. I mean, just because you’re a celebrity and you have money doesn’t mean bad things don’t happen to you or you don’t have bad days. Everybody’s a person.”
“I’m a regular guy from Cleveland,” Carey concluded with a wry smile, “My girlfriend ties me to the bed one leg at a time, just like everyone else.”
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James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@yourgiftoflife.org and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
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