Supermodel Bella Hadid bravely took to her Instagram on October 12, 2025 to speak out about her mental health journey in a vulnerable post in which she courageously opened up to fans about her personal struggles.
From the outside looking in, the 29-year-old, who appeared in numerous “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” episodes alongside her mother Yolanda and equally successful sister Gigi, appears to have it all. She has walked countless runways for the world’s biggest fashion designers, and nabbed a coveted spot in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show four times, appearing in every show since her 2016 debut, per Elle.
GettyBut under the surface, things are not as rosy as they seem, according to the brunette beauty’s latest post. The Orebella fragrance founder is pulling back the curtain and showing the truth about her ups and downs, writing, “Something I’ve carried for many years is the weight of anxiety and depression.” Read on for the details on how the pop culture icon is coping, and what she wants people to understand about mental health.
Bella Hadid Calls Mental Health Struggles ‘Debilitating’
In an admirably transparent post, Hadid stated she has had anxiety and depression for years, before telling her followers, “It can sometimes feel all-consuming, paralyzing, and invisible to the outside world, leaving you in tears before starting your day, wondering why your mind feels so heavy when life around you seems so bright.”
GettyShe then went on to address an internal struggle with self-judgment, saying, “There is often a deep sense of shame that comes with mental health struggles. I sometimes wonder how life has blessed me and how my body and mind are filled with the weight of sadness, depression, and debilitating anxiety on a regular basis.”
The post comes a month after the model shared pictures of herself hooked up to extensive amounts of medical equipment from a hospital bed, in a post she captioned, “I’m sorry I always go M.I.A. I love you guys.”
Yolanda Hadid subsequently survived her daughter was suffering from a flare-up of her chronic Lyme disease. “The invisible disability of chronic neurological Lyme disease is hard to explain or understand for anyone,” she wrote on Instagram.
Bella Hadid Declares ‘Awareness, Not Weakness’
The starlet continued her message to declare that she doesn’t see any negativity in acknowledging and discussing her mental health battles. She wrote, “Over the years, I’ve learned that this is not a weakness. It’s a part of me.” She listed her “sensitivity, awareness, and empathy” as some of her favorite traits, even referring to them as a potential “superpower.”
Hadid then said she hopes to help others with the same struggles relate. “Whoever deals with this daily too; I want you to remember that you are not alone. And I love you so much.”
This is not the first time Hadid has opened up about her mental health. Back in November 2021, she uploaded an Instagram Carousel of tear-filled selfies, showing fans the stark reality of her real life versus the glamorous highlights that are publicly seen. She didn’t specifically mention her diagnoses at the time, but she did write, “Self help and mental illness/chemical imbalance is not linear and it is almost like a flowing rollercoaster of obstacles. It has its ups and downs, and side to sides. But I want you to know, there is always light at the end of the tunnel, and the rollercoaster always comes to a complete stop at some point.”
Remarkable insights today