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Celebrity
Schitt’s Creek star Annie Murphy gets real about the lifesaving power of antidepressants
By Lauren Geall
4 years ago
In a new interview, Schitt’s Creek star Annie Murphy revealed she was diagnosed with depression at the start of March last year – and spoke about the important role antidepressants played in her recovery.
As valuable as talking about your mental health can be, it’s not always easy to speak about something so intensely personal and painful, especially when the whole world is watching. But that’s exactly what Schitt’s Creek star Annie Murphy has done in her latest interview – and her honesty is seriously refreshing.
Speaking in a cover interview for The Zoe Report, Murphy – who is currently starring in AMC’s twisted new show, Kevin Can F*** Himself – revealed that she was diagnosed with depression in March 2020 following the conclusion of Schitt’s Creek and the start of lockdown, after her mum asked her to speak to a therapist.
“My mum was like, ‘You’re crying 12 times a day hysterically, to the point where your teeth are chattering. That’s not normal,’” she said. “I was like, ‘Damn it, I’m depressed.’”
Murphy continued: “A lot of people are going to think that I sound like I’m playing a tiny violin for myself. ‘Oh, you’re rich and famous. Why the fuck are you sad? You have nothing to be sad about.’ But I’m not going to post photos of me covered in my own snot, lying on the floor, unable to get up. I don’t want people to have to see that.”
Murphy added that, while she was excited to get started with her first post-Schitt’s Creek role, the start of lockdown – and the subsequent delay of shooting on Kevin Can F*** Himself – was almost a blessing in disguise.
“As excited as I was to get this huge part on [Kevin], I do not think if I had gone to work when I was supposed to work, I would have been able to do my job,” she explained.
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With the help of regular therapy and antidepressants, the actor was able to get back to a place where she could be a “functional human being” – something she’s not taking for granted.
“I do not cry every single day on the floor 12 times… I am able to focus on other things in my life,” she said.
“You don’t have to be on drugs for the whole time, but they truly, truly saved my life in the sense that I was not a functional human being and I was able to be a functional human being.”
Not only is it great to hear that Murphy is doing better after seeking help, but it’s also incredibly refreshing to hear someone like her speak so openly about using antidepressants as part of their recovery.
As Murphy rightly points out, antidepressants are lifesaving drugs – and while it’s not always easy to admit that you need that extra support, doing so is incredibly important.
To read more antidepressants content, check out Stylist’s new digital series, Women On Antidepressants.
If you, or someone you know, is struggling with their mental health, you can find support and resources on the mental health charity Mind’s website and NHS Every Mind Matters or access the NHS list of mental health helplines and organisations here.
If you are struggling with your mental health, you can also ask your GP for a referral to NHS Talking Therapies, or you can self-refer.
You can also call the Samaritans in the UK on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org for confidential support.
Images: Getty
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