Amanda Seyfried Discusses Mental Health Stigma: 'I Had Pretty Bad Health Anxiety That Came From OCD'

Amanda Seyfried shows off her bright blue eyes on the cover of Allure‘s November 2016 issue.

Here’s what the 30-year-old actress had to share:

On mental illness: “Yeah. I’m on Lexapro, and I’ll never get off of it. I’ve been on it since I was 19, so 11 years. I’m on the lowest dose. I don’t see the point of getting off of it. Whether it’s placebo or not, I don’t want to risk it. And what are you fighting against? Just the stigma of using a tool? A mental illness is a thing that people cast in a different category [from other illnesses], but I don’t think it is. It should be taken as seriously as anything else. You don’t see the mental illness: It’s not a mass; it’s not a cyst. But it’s there. Why do you need to prove it? If you can treat it, you treat it. I had pretty bad health anxiety that came from the OCD and thought I had a tumor in my brain. I had an MRI, and the neurologist referred me to a psychiatrist. As I get older, the compulsive thoughts and fears have diminished a lot. Knowing that a lot of my fears are not reality-based really helps.”

On insecurity: “It’s funny when insecurity hits you. Sometimes I feel I know the world so well, but then…it’s so debilitating. You’re like, What am I doing here? No one wants to see me. Why are you taking my picture? It’s stupid, it’s irrational, and it’s not all about me, but I make it about me because I’m insecure.”

For m ore from Amanda, visit Allure.com.