Colton Haynes: I spent 3 weeks ‘paralysed’ in bed with depression and anxiety
Arrow star Colton Haynes has opened up about his struggle with mental health.
The 28-year-old revealed he had been battling depression in a post to Instagram, a year after coming out as gay.
Haynes, who is engaged to celebrity florist Jeff Leatham, says the mental health challenges got so acute he spent three weeks in bed.
The Teen Wolf star wrote: “This is a photo I took of myself about a month ago when I had reached a point where I had no idea what to do.
“I had been in bed crying/paralysed for 3 wks with no explanation. My personal life & career were at an all time high.
“I’ve talked about this before but I can’t stress enough how important it is to seek help when your feeling down or in your darkest moments.
“I’ve struggled with Anxiety & Depression since I was in the 5th grade & it’s not something that should go untreated or uncared for.
“I know a lot of people don’t understand mental illness & pass it off as ppl being dramatic…but it’s a chemical Imbalance that no one wants to struggle through. It’s not easy.”
Using the #WorldMentalHealthDay hashtag, Haynes went on to write: “Let’s all take a second to reach out to those in need of help & those who just need someone to talk to or some encouragement.
“A little love goes a long way. My heart is with my fellow survivors & ppl struggling through this disease…you aren’t alone.”
It’s not the first time he has opened up about his challenges.
He previously opened up about his struggle to come out as gay, both to his family and to the public.
He told Huffington Post: “I’ve been told by so many people that you cannot be out and have a career.
“The craziest thing was my career actually became the best it’s ever been once I actually was true to myself.
“That happened, and it was the most amazing experience.
“I was in Paris the day that the EW article dropped, and I cried for three days straight.”
He added: “It was amazing. Good cry, yeah. I was happy at the outpouring.”
He also revealed that Hollywood bosses forced him to date women to disguise his sexuality.
