Kristen Bell recently opened up about her struggle with depression. By talking about her conditions, the actress made an attempt to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental illness.
Bell made the revelation in an essay for Motto. The "Gossip Girl" actress confessed that she developed college when she was in college. However, she decided to keep her feelings hidden for a long time.
In fact, the actress did not speak about her struggle with depression for more than the first 15 years of her career as an actress. The "Bad Moms" star further confessed that she does not believe that it is a taboo anymore and that is the reason she has come forward to talk about her fight with depression.
In her write-up, Bell also thanked her mother for being open about the condition, which is often ignored silently. The actress expressed her gratitude since she had to face depression later in life.
"If there ever comes a time where you feel like a dark cloud is following you, you can get help. You can talk to me, talk to a therapist, talk to doctor. I want you to know that there are options," Bell wrote about her mother.
The actress further explains her college years of depression, stating that her transformation from a bubbly and cheerful person to someone who started to live in a permanent shade was quite awful. She confessed having stopped feeling anything while she was at the New York University, despite having ambitions and friends in life. However, her mom's guidance came to her rescue and at that time she knew that she had helped to get herself out of the intangible things that dragged her into the darkness.
The "House of Lies" actress further advised people not to hide their condition from anyone and to seek help as soon as they feel that something is wrong. According to her, hiding things can flourish them and make them powerful in a way that they get the power to be destructive in nature.
For Bell, depression is not sadness at all. Neither its just about needing a hug from someone close or about having a bad day at work. But, it is a pure sense of isolation and loneliness. However, appropriate help at the right time can help come out of the situation and people suffering from this form of mental illness must realize that.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), anxiety disorders, the most common form of mental illness, affects more than 40 million people around the world. According to the organization, people with anxiety disorders also suffer from depression and vice versa.
The following is a video of Kristen Bell and Melissa McCarthy answering Web's most searched questions: