Alyssa Milano opens up about her anxiety disorder meds and the need to 'erase the stigma'

The actress and activist made the declaration after being criticized for her medication regimen.
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A bit of a social-media firebrand, actress and activist Alyssa Milano has a habit of always saying something controversial. But in opening up about her struggles with mental health this week, she's found more community than usual.

The Charmed star, 48, opened up after an Instagram user commented on a previous video of hers, saying her medication regimen sounded "very bi polarish." (For the record: do not do that.)

Hoping to clarify, Milano took to Instagram again on Wednesday. In a new video, she said, "My diagnosis is generalized anxiety disorder with panic attacks and complex PTS. So, yeah. I know that you probably meant this as something that was going to be derogatory or hurtful, but I don't take it that way. This is how I'm built. This is who I am, and I take medication for it. And I'm okay with that."

In the post's caption, Milano wrote, "Erase the stigma." She also explained exactly which medications she takes and when, which is a rare thing to hear from a celeb, and something that made tons of her fans feel more comfortable about their own mental health experiences.

Various users commented, sharing which medications have worked for them and their depression or anxiety, while many thanked her for "breaking the stigma" and speaking up for invisible illnesses. As one fan wrote, "Anyone who diminishes anyone for suffering from this, really ought to re-examine their qualities as a human."

Everyone from Rosie O'Donnell to Kim Raver to Jodi Sweetin shared love, with the latter writing, “Thank god for meds!! I’m so thankful for you to speak up about this. Why we shame and stigmatize mental illness is so ridiculous. Some people have high blood pressure. I have shit serotonin levels. We both take meds. Big deal.”

Milano, ever an open book, has also continued to share her experience after contracting COVID-19 a year ago, and the toll it's taken on her body.

In August 2020, she told People that she's still experiencing shortness of breath, heart palpitations, brain fog, exhaustion, and "aches and pains that feel like they're on a skeletal level" most days.

She added, "This virus is like nothing I've ever experienced in my life and impacted every part of my health, from my mental health to my physical health. In order to avoid that happening to you or people that you love, please get vaccinated and please once vaccinated follow your state guidelines and protocol, and keep people that you love safe."

BEFORE YOU GO: Taraji P. Henson hosting a new show about mental health

[video_embed id='2050179']BEFORE YOU GO: Taraji P. Henson hosting a new show about mental health[/video_embed]

 

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