Kristen Bell Opens Up About Her Struggles With Anxiety And Depression

According to the Western Australian Mental Health Commission, three out of four people with a mental illness report being stigmatized for their health issue. When people are stigmatized they experience feelings of blame and hopelessness and are less likely to get help for their problems. But when people in the public eye come out about their struggles with mental illness it reduces the stigma. Which is why Kristen Bell’s recent revelations about her fight against anxiety and depression are so important.

Actress Kristen Bell (Frozen, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) is known for her upbeat personality, but in a recent interview with Off Camera, she revealed that she has struggled with anxiety and depression most of her life. “When I was 18 [my mother] said, ‘If you start to feel like you are twisting things around you, and you feel like there is no sunlight around you and you are paralyzed with fear, this is what it is, and here’s how you can help yourself,” Bell says.

“I present this very cheery, bubbly person, but I also do a lot of work. I do a lot of introspective work…and I got on a prescription when I was really young to help with my anxiety and depression and I still take it today,” she bravely admitted. “I have no shame in that because my mom had said to me, ‘If you start to feel this way, talk to your doctor, talk to a psychologist, see how you want to help yourself,’” she recalled. “If you do decide to go on a prescription to help yourself, understand that the world wants to shame you for that, but in the medical community, you would never deny a diabetic his insulin.’”

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