Ariel Winter has opened up about some of her mental health issues and how she deals with them with the help of medication.
The 25-year-old actress, who tested her survival skills on Star on Mars, shared her journey on the Broad Ideas podcast with Rachel Bilson and Olivia Allen.
The Modern Family star was talking about getting medication for one of her dogs who suffers from anxiety, when she admitted, “I’m on a lot of medications too.”
Olivia told her, “I think it’s great that you just came out and are open and honest about it…same.”
The straight-to-SAG nominated actress told her hosts, “Why do I have to be here and act like I don’t need anything?”
Mental health: Ariel Winter, 25, has opened up about her mental health journey, including therapy and medication (pictured in Los Angeles in November 2021)
“Like, why am I going to be here and act like I can live my life just fine without it, when I can’t. And a lot of people I know can’t do that either.”
The Star Trek: Lower Decks actress said she started therapy when she was 15, and medication a year later.
The Tripped Up star said: ‘It was a very difficult journey to find the right one. It took a very long time.’
The young actress explained that she took medication in high school that made her feel better, but it caused a weight gain of 20 to 30 pounds.
“There was nothing I could do to get it off,” she said.
After high school, she decided to look for another drug that might make her feel better than “okay.”
‘It was never about the weight. I’d much rather feel good than feel extremely thin.’
Ariel said finding new medications that worked for her “was difficult,” the result was, “I found a few for me that work great together.”
She felt uncomfortable taking more than one medication, “but over time I thought, ‘Whatever, I feel better.’
Podcast: The Modern Family star shared her experiences on the Broad Ideas podcast with Rachel Bilson and Olivia Allen and revealed she attends therapy for two hours every week
Medication: Ariel revealed that when she was in high school, she found a medication that made her feel “good,” but it caused a 30-pound weight gain. She lost weight after switching to other medications, which made her feel better
Therapy: The actress encouraged those who could afford therapy to access it, and encouraged listeners to take “that time” for themselves to heal
‘It is what it is. Which, if I have to put a few together to be the best version of myself, that’s fine.”
The actress has been following two hours of therapy a week since she was 21.
“I’d rather take my time to heal now,” she said, “than wait.”
The mental health advocate admitted that she knew therapy was a luxury and that some people couldn’t afford it, but encouraged listeners to take “that time” for themselves to heal.
