Kristen Bell’s Advice to Younger Self: Depression and Anxiety

Actress Kristen Bell has never shied away from discussing difficult topics publicly. In particular, during interviews, Kristen Bell’s mental health is never off the table. She’s open to sharing her experiences with mental health struggles and even speaks on how she tackles mental health topics with her children. What she has shared is an insightful look into what it means to address your mental health condition straight on.

Kristen Bell’s History and Career

Bell grew up in a suburb of Detroit as an enthusiastic kid with a love for singing and school. At age 11, Bell became a vegetarian, demonstrating an early love for taking on causes (such as the care of animals) that were important to her. In high school, Bell took to musical theater, performing in productions of The Wizard of Oz as Dorothy Gale and in Fiddler on the Roof. After graduating, Bell attended the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, where she majored in musical theater.

Before graduating from Tisch, Bell left college to play Becky Thatcher in the Broadway production of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

From there, her career in acting and music took shape. In 2004, she won the lead role in Veronica Mars. She then began acting in films, including Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Couples Retreat, Burlesque and Scream 4. In 2014, Bell hit superstardom as the voice of Frozen’s Anna and once again with the release of Frozen 2.

When she isn’t working, she’s spending time with her husband, actor Dax Shepherd, and her two daughters.

Kristen Bell’s Mental Health: The Actress Opens Up About Her Anxiety and Depression

Bell has achieved considerable success in her career, but privately, she has experienced what she describes as a serotonin imbalance that triggers serious bouts of anxiety and depression.

If you’re a fan of Disney’s Frozen, you may be familiar with Bell’s character, Anna. Bright, positive, and optimistic, Anna exemplifies the film’s feeling of hope. Yet Bell, who gave such a poignant voice to this now-iconic character, is no stranger to hopelessness.

In recent years, the actress has come out publicly to discuss her long-time struggles with anxiety and depression. Bell, who comes from a line of women who have a serotonin imbalance, illustrates that mental health issues can affect anyone. Even with her fame, wealth, and beauty, Bell isn’t immune to mental health disturbance.

Kristen Bell’s anxiety and depression were something she chose not to hide from the public, knowing that as many as an estimated 17.3 million adults in the United States had at least one major depressive episode in a single year.

Bell has talked about her first experience with depression, which occurred when she was in college. Despite her friends and ambitions, she felt an intangible sadness. Then she remembered what her mother had once told her: Get help.

Bell knew that letting her sadness fester would be unhealthy and could manifest in destructive behaviors. She took her feelings of worthlessness and failure to a therapist and got help putting her feelings in perspective — learning they were shaped in the context of her depression.

Her advice to her younger self would be to get help as soon as something felt wrong.

By revealing her struggles, Bell wants others to know they have options. She said, “Depression is a problem that actually has so many solutions.”

She’s right. On-going counseling, medication, lifestyle and dietary changes, and other types of therapy can have a dramatic impact on the management of mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression.

In a USA Today article, Bell discussed the solutions that work best for her. In addition to therapy, Bell takes a daily antidepressant (to help with waves of serotonin imbalance), a daily dose of CBD oil, and adaptogens, a form of herbal medicine.

Ultimately, Bell wants her fans to know that even though she presents a bubbly, upbeat persona, she does a lot of work to make it so. “Prior to sharing what my struggles were with anxiety and depression, I recognized that my picture publicly was this sort of bubbly actress that probably didn’t have any dark days,” she notes. Bell’s husband challenged her to be more transparent and honest about her life.

The Importance of Sharing Her Experience

The actress is transparent in her home with her children. While she has dealt with her mental health struggles, her husband has overcome an alcohol addiction. In an interview, she shared, “I think both my husband and I have been honest about our struggles because we want to set an example for our girls.” Bell doesn’t hide from her daughters the fact that she also takes medication to manage her condition. “I think I described the pill that I take at night when they saw me take it as ‘broccoli for my brain.'”

Bell’s dedication to mental health advocacy hasn’t stopped. In 2023, she joined the health and wellness platform Hers as the company’s first Mental Health Ambassador.

Bell hopes her experience and positive attitude about providing encouragement can strongly impact others. It’s tremendously helpful when a person in the spotlight, a person who seems to have it all, is willing to discuss their private issues with mental health or conditions like substance addiction.

Bell wants others to know that anyone can be affected by mental illness regardless of their status, wealth, or career. In other words, it’s not a choice. But it is a choice to seek help.

In Time Magazine, Bell stated, “It’s important for me to be candid about this so people in a similar situation can realize that they aren’t worthless and that they do have something to offer. We all do.” She discussed her feelings of social responsibility and how they compelled her to open up about her anxiety and depression. “Let’s work together to find those solutions for each other and cast some light on a dark situation.”

Get Help With FHE Health

Bell is an example of the life-changing impact professional help can have on a person. You don’t have to struggle through your mental health challenges on your own. Let the experts at FHE Health give you the support and guidance you need so you can get back to living a full life. Contact us today to find out more about our mental health programs.