Amanda Seyfried is speaking honestly about her mental health and how it shaped her early years in Hollywood. The actress recently shared that living with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder actually helped her stay away from alcohol and drugs when she was young and famous.
In a new interview with Vogue, Seyfried said she was officially diagnosed with what she called “really extreme” OCD when she was just 19. At that time, her career was moving fast. She had already appeared in Mean Girls and was working nonstop on TV shows like Veronica Mars and HBO’s Big Love.
While things looked exciting on the outside, it was not easy behind the scenes. Seyfried said her anxiety became so intense that her mother had to leave her job in Pennsylvania and come live with her for a month in Marina del Rey. That was when Seyfried went through medical tests, including brain scans, and finally started medication. She shared that she still takes the same medication every night to this day.
OCD is a mental health condition that causes unwanted thoughts and fears, often leading to repeated behaviors. For Seyfried, it brought fear and stress, but it also made her extra careful about how she lived her life.
She explained that while rejection in Hollywood never really bothered her, other things did. Partying, drinking, drugs, and staying out late were all triggers for her anxiety. While many young stars were deep into that lifestyle, Seyfried stayed away from it completely.
She said she would often make plans and then cancel at the last minute. Sometimes she just did not go out at all. Looking back, she feels those choices protected her. “I didn’t enter that world of nightclubs,” she admitted. “I gotta give credit to my OCD.”
The actress believes it also helped that she did not become instantly famous as a child. She said she was not a big star overnight and only became more recognizable around the age of 18. That slower rise made a difference, especially when compared to others who grew up in the spotlight from a very young age.
This is not the first time Seyfried has talked openly about her diagnosis. In earlier interviews, she explained how seeing a neurologist and psychiatrist helped her understand what was happening in her mind. As she has gotten older, many of her fears have become easier to manage.
She said learning that some thoughts are not based in reality made a huge difference. It helped her stop believing every fear her mind created.
Seyfried has also been clear about how she feels about mental health treatment. She believes mental illness should be taken just as seriously as physical illness. Just because you cannot see it does not mean it is not real.
She shared that she has been on Lexapro for years and does not feel any need to stop. She said she does not want to risk her stability just to avoid judgment. For her, medication is simply a tool, and there is nothing wrong with using it.
By opening up about her experience, Amanda Seyfried is reminding people that mental health struggles look different for everyone. Sometimes, even the hardest challenges can quietly help shape better choices.
