“You don't see the mental illness: It's not a mass; it's not a cyst. But it's there," said actress Amanda Seyfried, about living with anxiety and OCD.
Over 20 million Americans deal with a mood disorder such as Depression or Bipolar, and over 40 million lives with Anxiety. Many believe mental illness can be dealt with by 'just getting over it' or 'thinking positively.' As a person who has had a mental illness since I was 12 years old, I can tell you that that's not the case. To this day, I can't go in a room full of people, even my job, and not feel nervous or scared.
When it comes to celebrities, it seems like all of their lives are perfect, so it's a relief when starlets like Seyfried come out and break their silence.
Seyfried went into detail about her personal struggle in an interview with Allure magazine for the upcoming November issue. She explained that she has been on Lexapro since she was 19 and that she never plans to go off of it.
Celebrities like Seyfried, and recently Kristen Bell, are not using their illness to bring attention to them, but to use their star power for a good cause. They want to let everyone dealing with mental illness know that it's okay to ask for help and that they are not alone.
