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Kristen Bell Reveals Struggles with Depression amid mental health challenges: ‘I Felt Worthless’

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Updated on July 6, 2023

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Kristen Bell isn’t afraid to speak out about mental illness.

Bell admitted that she suffered depression in college but kept her feelings buried for years in a new article for Motto. “I didn’t speak publicly about my struggles with mental health for the first 15 years of my career,” the Bad Moms star wrote. “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.”

Bell’s mother had warned her about depression when she was 18, advising her to seek help from her family, a therapist, or a doctor if she thought a black cloud was following her. As a result, when Bell recognized she wasn’t herself, she sought assistance — and now she’s hoping that others will do the same.

“When I was 18, my mom sat me down and said, ‘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 of her mother’s unwavering support. “I’m so thankful for her openness on this predominantly silent subject because later, when I was in college, that time did come. 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. There was no logical reason for me to feel this way. I was at New York University, I was paying my bills on time, I had friends and ambition—but for some reason, there was something intangible dragging me down. Luckily, thanks to my mom, I knew that help was out there—and to seek it without shame.”

The “extreme stigma” around mental health, according to the actor, makes it difficult for individuals to get treatment. “20% of American adults face some form of mental illness in their lifetime. So why aren’t we talking about it?” she asked.

“Mental health check-ins should be as routine as going to the doctor or the dentist,” Bell added. “After all, I’ll see the doctor if I have the sniffles. If you tell a friend that you are sick, his first response is likely, ‘You should get that checked out by a doctor.’ Yet if you tell a friend you’re feeling depressed, he will be scared or reluctant to give you that same advice. You know what? I’m over it.”

‘It’s a knee-jerk reaction to judge people when they’re vulnerable. But there’s nothing weak about struggling with mental illness. You’re just having a harder time living in your brain than other people. And I don’t want you to feel alone,’ she said.

Bell said that instead of making vulnerable individuals feel compelled to keep their mental health problems to themselves, they should be encouraged to talk about them and get assistance.

“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,” Bell wrote.