Advertisement

Paulina Porizkova opens up about taking anti-depressants: 'I was ashamed'

HAMBURG, GERMANY - JUNE 20: Paulina Porizkova during the Ernsting's family Fashion Show 2022 at Hotel Atlantic on June 20, 2022 in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by Franziska Krug/Getty Images for Ernsting's Family)
Paulina Porizkova opened up about taking anti-depressants on Instagram. (Photo by Franziska Krug/Getty Images for Ernsting's Family)

Paulina Porizkova is getting real about her mental health.

Over the weekend, the 57-year-old model and actress took to Instagram to post a fresh-faced photo alongside an emotional caption about her experience with anti-depressants.

In the detailed note, the Swedish stunner began by addressing the "shame" associated with depression and anxiety.

"There is so much shame attached to depression, and for that matter, anxiety, because for people who don’t suffer from it believe we should just snap out of it. Like an alcoholic who should just quit drinking," she wrote.

The mother-of-two also explained that she felt "ashamed" she was taking anti-depressants and described a particularly emotional experience from earlier in her career.

"I initially started to take anti-depressants for my anxiety in my early forties — but ended with a depression after weaning off. And yes, I was ashamed. I was ashamed that I couldn’t pull my self up by my bootstraps and just get over it. I was ashamed that I was suddenly labeled 'crazy' because I was taking medications," Porizkova continued. "This was made worse and perpetuated by the fact I couldn’t get properly insured for a TV show I was working on at the time, since taking anti-depressants labeled me as unstable!"

The model concluded her post by telling fans there's nothing wrong with accepting help in the healing process.

"Sometimes, when we’re in pain, we just need a little time to heal. Sometimes, we need to address the underlying issues of our pain to be able to address them. And sometimes, the pain is just there, reason unknown. In all those circumstances, we’re incredibly lucky we live in a time we can find relief. Would you not take an Advil for your headache or your broken bone?" she said. "Let’s allow anti-depressants to have their rightful place in healing. They are painkillers. They can change your day from being unbearable to bearable. And that’s huge. They give you time to breathe and rest, to recalibrate and take stock...There is no shame in pain relief."

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 28: Paulina Porizkova attends Goodwill's Evening of Treasures at Tapestry on April 28, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Paulina Porizkova is known for opening up about mental health on social media. (Photo by Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

Fans praised Porizkova for speaking out about such a deep topic and shared their experiences with anti-depressants in the comments.

"Thank you Paulina. I’m so happy you use your voice to raise awareness," commented a follower. "I've been taking these pills for so long and now I see them as a way to heal, not something to be embarrassed about."

"Once again, way to drop a truth bomb, Paulina! I have tried everything for my anxiety and bouts of depression including medication, exercise, meditation, therapy, and quitting alcohol. At the end of the day, whatever works for an individual is all that matters," shared someone else. "And sometimes during different times of pain and stress, we need different things. Thank you for helping remove the stigma of suffering from any mental illness in the first place, and helping remove the judgment surrounding one’s treatment."

"Thank you for sharing this beautiful and honest message. Conversations like this we help open space to talk about the benefits of antidepressants and also the benefits of additional interventions," wrote another.

Let us know what you think by commenting below and tweeting @YahooStyleCA! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.