It's become commonplace to casually or jokingly say that you "have OCD" as a shorthand for wanting to be organized, but as Amanda Seyfried knows, the realities of having obsessive compulsive disorder are much more serious than color-coding your to-do list.
In an interview with Allure for the magazine's November issue, Seyfried opened up about what it's really like to live with OCD. While discussing her recent home renovations, the actress said that her decision not to put a stove in the guest house was related to her OCD.
"I always worry about people and how they use stoves," she said. "Which is just a controlling thing.”
When asked if this anxiety was because of her OCD, she replied: “Yes. About the gas. You could so easily burn down something if you leave the stove on. Or the oven.”
Seyfried then explained that she has been taking a low dose of Lexapro (which is also used to treat general anxiety and depression) to manage her mental illness for the past 11 years, and will "never get off of it."
"I don’t see the point of getting off of it," she continued. "Whether it’s placebo or not, I don’t want to risk it."
Besides, she says, she doesn't feel the need to bow down to the "stigma of using a tool" to treat a mental illness.
"A mental illness is a thing that people cast in a different category [from other illnesses], but I don’t think it is," she said. "It should be taken as seriously as anything else. You don’t see the mental illness: It’s not a mass; it’s not a cyst. But it’s there."
Seyfried nails an important point: Mental illness, though often stigmatized, is just as real as physical illness or injury. It's admirable that such a public figure is so open about managing her mental illness and seeking help for it — her candor may just inspire others to prioritize their mental well-being, too. After all, the stigma against mental health disorders can often stop people from getting the care they need.
Like Seyfried says, there's no shame in seeking help and treatment for mental illnesses.
"If you can treat it, you treat it," she said.
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