In 2018, Carson Daly revealed his Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) to the world. Daly talks about the panic attacks he experienced as a host of NBC’s “The Voice.” “Mind Matters,” Daly’s summer-long “Today” show series, aims to normalize these conversations.
Whether presenting ‘On the Voice’ or the ‘Today’ show, Carson Daly looks calm and composed in his high-pressure, high-profile career. But “things aren’t what they seem, and people need to know that’s okay,” he says.
In reality, the 48-year-old TV personality has suffered from generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and panic attacks for much of his life. Since childhood, he has considered himself a “worrying one” after losing his father at age five and having panic attacks that started during his “Total Request Live” days.
“You may know me from MTV or as a celebrity, whatever you think of me. You may think my life is perfect. I have kids. I always look happy on TV or when you watch me on ‘The Voice, But it just doesn’t work that way. It’s not like that,” Daly says.
“On ‘The Voice,’ when I’m live on Monday nights, my right hand is usually in my right pocket, clutching at the flesh of my thigh as I wait for a high-panic moment to pass.”
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Daly first spoke about his mental health in a vulnerable on-air discussion in 2018, in which he opened up about coping with cognitive behavioral therapy.
He says his moments of panic and hyperventilation still come and go, but he’s in a “much better place” since he openly talks about it.
“Once you realize that other people have (GAD) — that it’s a diagnosable thing, and there’s a whole psychology and physiology behind it — you have context, and I think learning about all that, talking about it, it researching tore the veil,” he says, adding that he’s “just on a really good personal path.”
While much progress has been made in destigmatizing the mental health conversation, Daly says there’s still a long way to go. So he hopes to make the problem more humane with “Mind Matters,” a summer-long “Today” show series dedicated to sharing powerful mental health stories from everyday people. From Tuesday, parts of the program will be aired during broadcasts, and on Wednesday, “Today All Day,” a special “Mind Matters” will be available for streaming.
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Daly, who has spoken with a young TikTok star, families of students who have died by suicide, and others, says the series is an “inspiring” opportunity to normalize a topic that was once taboo.
“One day, I shared my story haphazardly, and now this area of mental health has kind of become my place on NBC News and within the show and the creation of ‘Mind Matters’ to find other stories from people like me, or whether they are famous or not.
“It’s just inspiring. I’ve never had a problem with clinical depression… but when I do ‘Mind Matters, ‘ I have the opportunity to talk to people who are struggling differently than me with suicidal thoughts or depression. I’m in awe of the courage of men.”
Daly hopes this mental health conversation will also highlight struggles in marginalized communities.
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“In some ways, we still have a long way to go with the stigma, especially with professional athletes…and I’m trying to shed a lot of light on communities of color because access to mental health care (in these communities) is just awful. And there’s already a stigma worse than for white counterparts,” says Daly.
“But I think, the conversations are generally happening a lot more often. You hear mental health in music and pop culture and from celebrities coming up… and willing to talk about it. So I think we’re on the right track.” direction.”
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