Princewill Pius
Little did fans know at the time, but Chyler Leigh dealt with intense ups and downs during the height of Grey’s Anatomy‘s popularity. “I was experiencing such a high version of mania and irritability that I couldn’t sleep or eat, and I was angry and reckless,” she explained to Prevention in December 2019. “I would go to work and use that adrenaline and expend my energy and feelings there, and then I would come home exhausted.” After visiting a therapist, Leigh went on a “cocktail of prescriptions” that numbed her to everything and “completely obliterated [her] ability to manage” the life she created. This continued up until age 29, when the actor suffered a breakdown and admitted herself into a hospital for treatment. She was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder II, a condition she had tried to ignore for way too long. “I was constantly hiding layers of myself, trying to come off as pretty and palatable,” she told Prevention.
What’s sad about Leigh’s case is that she knew from an early age something wasn’t right. “When I would try to talk about how I was feeling, I don’t think my parents were in a position to really listen,” she told Healthday, explaining how her mom was diagnosed as bipolar later in life. Now that Leigh has found help, she’s doing better than ever.
Of course, Leigh isn’t the only star who has struggled with mental health issues, and the decision to discuss them publicly is always a brave one.
Written by: Nicki
