Mayim Bialik opens up about her depression

Mayim Bialik has recently opened up about her struggles with depression. Her disclosure was part of the Child Mind Institute’s #MyYoungerSelf social media campaign, which features people posting videos of themselves talking about their mental health issues and the advice they’d give their younger selves about how to cope.

In her video, “The Big Bang Theory” star says she’d like to tell her younger self that there are answers to her problems, but that they may take time to find. Watch her touching video below:

“I had this notion when I was younger that if something didn’t work once, that nothing would ever work. And I wish I could have told my younger self that something will work,” the actress and scientist says.

This is not the first time Bialik has spoken  outabout her experiences with depression, and particularly how to navigate mental health issues as an adolescent. In 2017, she penned an essay for Seventeen, “5 Things I Wish I Knew About Depression as a Teen.” In it, she echoes the sentiment expressed in her video that even if it seems like your depression will be a permanent state and nothing will work to relieve it, that’s not the case.

“And while depression may feel like it will always be your constant companion, it won’t be,” she wrote. “There are things you can do to alleviate depression like talking to someone you trust, speaking with a school counselor or therapist, and increasing your physical activity. Sometimes cutting back on caffeine and sugar can help lift your mood.”

Bialik also stressed the difference between sadness and depression, and urged teens who are experiencing suicidal thoughts to get help immediately.

Other celebrities participating in the #MyYoungerSelf campaign to end the stigma around mental health issues include Kristen Bell, Mikaela Shiffrin, James Van Der Beek, Gabrielle Union, Brittany Snow and Sarah Silverman. You can see their videos here.

What do you wish you could tell your younger self?