jonah hill's mental health ‘immeasurably better’ thanks to therapy

actor jonah hill says he is feeling good these days, thanks to intensive therapy that is helping him deal with his anxiety and panic attacks, according to people magazine .

the “wolf of wall street” and “21 jump street” alum talks about his mental health journey in the documentary stutz , which takes a look at hill’s mental health journey and the work he has done with phil stutz, his therapist and long-time friend.

“i’m just going to acknowledge how odd this endeavour is — a patient making a movie about his therapist,” hill, 38, says in the trailer for the film . “but my life has gotten immeasurably better as a result of working with [stutz]. if it worked for me, maybe it will work for other people.”

in an open letter released this august, hill explained he hopes the film will help reduce the stigma surrounding mental health.

jonah hill makes moves to respect his mental health

but that also means setting boundaries. in his letter from the summer, hill explained he would not be participating in the promotion of stutz because his anxiety attacks are exacerbated by media appearances and public-facing events. he is also not expected to take part in the press tour for his upcoming netflix comedy “ you people ,” which he stars in and co-produced with director kenya barris.

stutz is making the rounds at various film festivals this fall and is slated to premiere november 14 on netflix.

mental health challenges more common than you think

while living through the covid-19 pandemic has shone a light on mental health and its importance in handling work, childcare and other responsibilities, the reality is that as many as one in three canadians will be impacted by mental illness in their lifetime, according to health canada .

(these numbers come from the canadian chronic disease surveillance system , managed and updated annually by the public health agency of canada.)

talk therapy can help

researchers are increasingly recommending patients try behavioural and emotion-focused therapy before turning to medication, at least for some conditions like depression and adhd.

why? advances in neuroscience have revealed that life experiences alter our brains, so when we face stressful situations, learn something new, or activate our senses, the connections in our brains can change, according to mental health america . it’s called “neuroplasticity.”