‘Mean Girls’ Star Reveals Lifelong Struggle With ‘Extreme’ Mental Health Disorder
She was first diagnosed as a teenager, shortly after the 2004 hit film’s release.
Steve Eichner/Variety via Getty Images
Get a First Look
Sign up to receive news and updates from The Looker
By clicking "Sign Up" you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Actress Amanda Seyfried, 40, opened up about her lifelong battle with a debilitating mental health condition.
The Emmy-winning star, known for her roles in Mean Girls and The Dropout, admitted in a new interview that she struggles with a “really extreme” form of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
“I was living in Marina del Rey at the time, shooting Big Love, and my mom had to take a sabbatical from work in Pennsylvania to live with me for a month,” Seyfried told Vogue. “I got my brain scans, and that’s when I got on medication—which to this day, I’m on every night.”
Seyfried received a formal diagnosis at age 19, approximately a year after the release of Mean Girls. Her portrayal of ditsy blonde Karen Smith in the 2004 comedy launched Seyfried’s career, and she went on to star in blockbusters such as Mamma Mia! and Dear John.
Seyfried (center) with Lindsay Lohan and Lacey Chabert in 'Mean Girls' (2004).
Paramount Pictures
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a mental health condition in which a person develops obsessions (repetitive thoughts) that lead to compulsions (the repetition of specific actions), according to the Mayo Clinic.
The actress says her diagnosis kept her from “drinking too much alcohol, or doing any drugs at all, or staying out too late” in her teens, as she tried to steer away from things that could cause distress. “I would make plans and then just not go. I guess I did make choices. I didn’t enter that realm of nightclubs. I gotta give credit to my OCD,” she said.
Seyfried’s latest role is in a film adaptation of the bestselling novel The Housemaid, which she stars in alongside Sydney Sweeney.
Seyfried previously spoke about her mental health, sharing details of her medication regimen in a 2016 interview with Allure.
“I’m on Lexapro, and I’ll never get off of it. I’ve been on it since I was 19,” she told the outlet. “I’m on the lowest dose. I don’t see the point of getting off of it. Whether it’s placebo or not, I don’t want to risk it. And what are you fighting against? Just the stigma of using a tool?”