Yannick Noah, Pomme, François Berléand, Florent Manaudou, Camille Lacourt… A dozen personalities will speak out in a documentary to discuss their mental health issues. This film, broadcast on May 6 on M6, is part of a series of initiatives aimed at raising public awareness of mental health, known as "great national cause" in 2025.
Recently presented at the Ministry of Health, this documentary gives voice to faces well-known to the general public, as well as to anonymous individuals. All share the commonality of having experienced, sometimes in silence, episodes of great psychological suffering.
"I wanted to die."
"I wanted to die, I looked at the Seine and I said to myself: I'm throwing myself in, I can't take it anymore.", confides Yannick Noah. The tennis champion returns to the deep depression that followed his legendary victory at Roland-Garros in 1983. An intimate confession among others, like those of swimmers Camille Lacourt et Florent Manaudou, of the actress Michèle Bernier, or even the singer Apple.
The film explores a broad spectrum of disorders: depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, schizophrenia. Actor François Berléand discusses his sense of life. "in a permanent fiction". Magician Eric Antoine, for his part, shares a poignant reflection: "I wanted to be known because I wanted to be loved, because I hated myself." Throughout the testimonies, one constant emerges: the gap between public image and the mental reality experienced, which is sometimes unbearable. Some recount how their disorders paradoxically fueled their creativity, or were the source of their need for recognition.
"Not enough strong political response"
This media outcry is part of a broader movement. At the end of March, Nicolas Demorand, host of France's leading morning radio show, revealed that he suffers from bipolar disorder. These public revelations are welcomed by healthcare professionals. They believe they help reduce the still-strong stigma surrounding mental illness.
But while words are being spoken out, political action is slow to follow. Despite the many warnings issued over the past ten years, notably by the Ethics Committee, French psychiatry continues to face a chronic lack of resources. "There was no strong political response", deplores neurologist Sophie Crozier.
The release of this documentary therefore comes at a pivotal moment: between cultural progress and institutional backwardness. One thing is certain: making these voices heard is an essential first step in permanently changing the way we view mental health.
