Gabrielle says she was diagnosed with PTSD after she was raped at the age of 19, while Kristen, who has been struggling with depression and anxiety, has advice for her younger self.
- May 2, 2018
AceShowbiz - Gabrielle Union and Kristen Bell have opened up about their mental health struggles as part of a new The Child Mind Institute campaign. The actresses have joined up with James Van Der Beek, Brittany Snow and others for the second installment of #MyYoungerSelf social media campaign.
In a homemade video for the project, Gabrielle talks about her struggle with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which she was diagnosed with after she was raped at the age of 19.
"I'm here to tell you that I am a PTSD survivor, thriver, bad a** motherf**ker," she says. "I was diagnosed with PTSD at 19 after I was raped at gunpoint - and I didn't let it stop me. I didn't want it to define my whole life, and it doesn't have to. Asking for help, needing help doesn't make you weak or less worthy of love or support or success."
"You can literally be anything you want to be," she adds. "PTSD isn't a death sentence. You don't have to be alone or feel isolated. There are so many of us out there who are dealing with exactly what you're dealing with and it doesn't make you weak. It doesn't make you anything but human."
Meanwhile Kristen has opened up about her struggles with depression and anxiety, insisting she would advise her younger self not to strive to be perfect.
"Everyone has problems," she continues. "Everyone feels yucky on the inside sometimes. You deserve to feel just as beautiful on the days you wear no makeup, the days you don't shower and the days you feel like you're depressed. And you have an obligation to take care of yourself from the inside out because that's how you can truly feel beautiful".
