More and more celebrities are speaking up about their struggles with mental health. One of the most recent revelations came from actress Kristen Bell.
The 35-year-old actress exudes a bubbly and perky personality in front of the cameras, but it turns out that these are the same features that she uses to mask what's within her: anxiety and depression.
"I'm extremely co-dependent," she says.
She adds that she experiences very bad feelings when she thinks people do not like her so she compensates this by being the bubbly girl people know she is. She is aware, however, that this is not healthy so she fights this all the time.
How It Started
When Bell was just 18 years old, her mom, who is a nurse, talked to her and informed her that depression runs in their family.
Bell's mom explained that there is a thing called serotonin imbalance, which may be passed from female to female. She also warned about the possibility of people shaming her if she takes anti-depressants. The stigma is ever present as Bell cites people's reaction to individuals taking such drugs. For example, people would not condemn a diabetic person taking insulin, but if they see someone taking serotonin inhibitors, they refer to that person as crazy or something like that.
Because Bell was made aware of this early on, she has become open about her taking medications.
Mom's Help
In an interview with Off The Camera with Sam Jones, Bell credits her mother for being able to survive her mental health problems. Her mom was the one who told her that it's OK to ask for help.
Bell's mom also cited her own mother, who suffered tremendously from depression. This is the reason why she chose to prepare her daughter well. She told Bell that if things start to twist around and if there seems to be no sunlight anymore, fear takes over. Being able to recognize and accept that is the way to help oneself. That is how Bell got the courage to seek help and take medications.
Other Celebrities
Aside from Bell, there are other celebrities who have been embattled by mental health problems.
One is Demi Lovato, who entered rehab due to bipolar and eating disorders while she was still with Disney Channel. Her problems were magnified and there was nothing else she could do but to use that situation to help others.
Actress Hayden Panettiere suffered from postpartum depression, which she thinks is not believed by all people. She said there is a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to the reality of the condition. Some people think women who experience it are making it up, or it's all due to hormones. Such belief is painful and scary, thus women need a lot of support.
The author behind the world-famous Harry Potter series also had her share of tough times. J.K. Rowling had depression and suicidal thoughts during her mid-20s. The thing that made her seek for help was her daughter, who brought her back to Earth and made her realize that this is not right and that her daughter cannot grow up with a mother in the said state.
