Brittany Snow has claimed she was branded “self-indulgent” when she tried to talk about her mental health battle in 2007.
The ‘Pitch Perfect’ star was 21 years old when she attempted to open up about her struggle with anorexia, depression, and self harm over a decade ago, but has said there was such a “stigma” around the topic of mental health at the time that she was branded as attention seeking and self-centred for trying to share her story.
She said: “I think there was still a stigma around sharing so much truth, and it kind of got seen as me being self-indulgent or trying to gain attention. I definitely wasn’t ready for that. I was too young and not prepared for what was going to happen. And it wasn’t even that bad - it just was me feeling like I didn’t have the tools to really be able to help people and help myself.”
Eventually, Brittany, now 33, was forced to step back from the spotlight two years after her confession, because the aftermath of her comments had caused her to develop severe anxiety, and left her unable to speak in public without shaking.
She added: “I did the ‘Pitch Perfect’ movies in the meantime and did a show called 'Harry's Law’, [during] which I was usually unable to speak on set, and then had to slowly get myself back to a place where I was comfortable.”
In 2010, Brittany - who is engaged to Tyler Stanaland - set up Love Is Louder, an online community created to fight against bullying and amplify messages of kindness online, and has since announced plans to create another organisation called September Letters, which is based on the concept of carrying inspirational letters around in your back pocket.
September Letters is still in its early stages, but Brittany says it will be a website and Instagram page full of messages of hope and strength for those who need it.
Speaking to InStyle magazine, the actress said: “Now, so many people are so open with their stories, and it's very, very cool and accepted that people are sharing their truth. I might've spoken too early, but at the same time, it started and was the impetus for so many changes in my life that have worked out really well, so it's okay.”
