Kristen Bell may be known for her lighthearted roles in Forgetting Sara Marshall and Frozen, but behind the blonde’s sweet, bubbly personality is a bit of a darker past. In May, Bell opened up about her struggles with depression and anxiety in an episode of Off Camera With Sam Jones, where she mentioned her crippling insecurity about people not liking her.
On Tuesday, Bell shared a deeply personal, powerful note about her struggle with mental illness. In the note, which she penned for Motto, Bell admitted that she fell into a deep depression while she was attending New York University.
She wrote:
“I felt plagued with a negative attitude and a sense that I was permanently in the shade. I’m normally such a bubbly, positive person, and all of a sudden I stopped feeling like myself.”
She continued:
“When you try to keep things hidden, they fester and ultimately end up revealing themselves in a far more destructive way than if you approach them with honesty. I didn’t speak publicly about my struggles with mental health for the first 15 years of my career. But now I’m at a point where I don’t believe anything should be taboo. So here I am, talking to you about what I’ve experienced.
Here’s the thing: For me, depression is not sadness. It’s not having a bad day and needing a hug. It gave me a complete and utter sense of isolation and loneliness. Its debilitation was all-consuming, and it shut down my mental circuit board. I felt worthless, like I had nothing to offer, like I was a failure. Now, after seeking help, I can see that those thoughts, of course, couldn’t have been more wrong. It’s important for me to be candid about this so people in a similar situation can realize that they are not worthless and that they do have something to offer. We all do.”
Bell then stressed the importance of communication and openness when it comes to mental illness, reminding those who are suffering that “there’s nothing weak about struggling with mental illness.”
An estimated 20 percent of Americans suffer from some form of mental illness — one in five people. With something so undeniably common, Bell begs the greater question why mental illness is still taboo. Why do we judge those who are open about their illness, and why is it so hard to seek help?
Bell concludes her statement by urging those who are struggling to communicate their problems.
“Talking about how you’re feeling is the first step to helping yourself. Depression is a problem that actually has so many solutions. Let’s work together to find those solutions for each other and cast some light on a dark situation,” she says.
Tuesday marked the last day of May, which was Mental Health Awareness Month, and Bell’s statement was a timely reminder that just because someone isn’t vocal, doesn’t mean they aren’t suffering. You can read Bell’s entire statement on Motto, and checkout her Off Camera interview below.
