#AmandaSeyfried: Actress Opens Up About Living With Mental Illness

Mental illness comes in many forms, such as depression and eating disorders. But in the case of Amanda Seyfried, it’s OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).

In the latest issue of Allure magazine, the “Ted 2” actress was brutally honest about her mental condition, revealing that she has been taking antidepressants for 11 years.

“I’m on Lexapro, and I’ll never get off of it (…) I’m on the lowest dose. I don’t see the point of getting off of it. Whether it’s placebo or not, I don’t want to risk it. And what are you fighting against? Just the stigma of using a tool? A mental illness is a thing that people cast in a different category (from other illnesses), but I don’t think it is. It should be taken as seriously as anything else,” she said, adding that seeking help can help treat mental illness.

OCD, as the National Health Services puts it, is a common mental health condition in which a person has obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours. It affects men, women, and children and can develop at any age.

The blonde beauty, who suffers from anxiety attacks, continued, “I had pretty bad health anxiety that came from the OCD and thought I had a tumour in my brain. I had an MRI, and the neurologist referred me to a psychiatrist. As I get older, the compulsive thoughts and fears have diminished a lot. Knowing that a lot of my fears are not reality-based really helps”.

Best known for her roles in “Mean Girls”, “Mamma Mia!”, “Les Misérables”, and “Dear John”, 30-year-old Amanda Seyfried is engaged to her “The Last Word” co-star Thomas Sadoski and ranked #1 in People magazine’s “25 Beauties (and Hotties) at 25” in 2011.

To read her full interview, click here.

Sources: Allure, E! Online, US Weekly.