Chad Michael Murray talks about how fame took a toll on his mental health.
During the interview with Cutpublished on May 21, the 42-year-old opened up about his struggle with agoraphobia — an anxiety disorder that involves a fear of going to crowded places or sometimes leaving home.
The actor said his anxiety started after his success One Tree Hilladmitting that everything looked great on the outside, but he was “much more fragile than I’ve ever put on.”
“Everybody starts telling you ‘Yes,'” Murray told the newspaper. “But I walked around with a really sore heart.”
“I was about 23 years old and I had an event in Miami, but I couldn’t leave the hotel room,” he said. “The world felt like it was closing in; I had anxiety attacks.”
Zac Efron opens up about his agoraphobia: ‘I just don’t go out’
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Chad Michael Murray.
Jon Kopaloff/Getty
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Murray said things started to change for him after his 25th birthday.
“I woke up and felt restless. I didn’t like the direction I was going in life,” he recalled. “I went to church and I got a cross tattooed on my left wrist and I thought I was going to move in faith.”
The actor, who was raised Catholic and recommitted to Christianity at the age of 25, explained that the combination of religion and therapy allowed him to see great progress not only in his mental health, but also in his career.
“I remember waking up in my early 20s and going, ‘Oh, it’s me got go to work.’ And that’s a completely different place to start your day,” he said of that branch. “It’s just a very different mindset where I have gratitude. I get going to work and I love that opportunity to just spread love, try to raise energy and respect the craft. Instead of coming at it like a disgruntled, jaded 21-year-old.”
In addition to Murray, several other stars have shared their battle with agoraphobia, including Zac Efron, Kim Basinger, Linda Evangelista and more.
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Source: HIS Education