In case you didn’t already love actress Kristen Bell, she’s giving fans one more reason to add to the list.

In an interview with Sam Jones for Off Camera, the Frozen star and sloth lover opens up about her depression and anxiety.

“I struggled a lot with anxiety and depression,” Bell said. “My mom sat me down when I was 18 and she said, ‘there is a serotonin imbalance in our family line.’ ” Bell goes on to share about her grandmother’s history of depression and alcohol abuse.

After Bell’s mother, a nurse, watched her grandmother’s struggles, she was very upfront with Bell about the family legacy.

“She said, ‘if you start to feel like you are twisting things around you and you start to feel like there’s no sunlight around you and you’re paralyzed with fear, this is what it is and here’s how you can help yourself.’ ”

“I present this very cheery, bubbly person, but I also do a lot of work. I do a lot of introspective work and I check in with myself when I need to exercise. I got on a prescription when I was really young to help with my anxiety and depression, and I still take it today, and I have no shame in that.”

Bell shared her stance that there should be no stigma about taking antidepressants, though she admits that some people feel differently.

“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. Ever,” she said firmly. “But for some reason, when someone needs a serotonin inhibitor, they’re immediately crazy or something.”

Bell’s candid discussion about her history with depression and anxiety may be of comfort to many people dealing with similar issues. Her mother’s straightforward conversation with her also offers something to think about for parents whose children might be affected by depression—either now, or in the future.
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Author: Lynn Shattuck

Editor: Caitlin Oriel

Image: Jon Elbaz/Wikimedia Commons