The actress, who portrayed Barb in the first season of the Netflix series, opens up in a new Teen Vogue essay that she suffered a mental breakdown the night before a big test at school.
- May 7, 2018
AceShowbiz - "Stranger Things" star Shannon Purser has opened up about her mental health struggles in a new Teen Vogue essay. The actress, who portrayed tragic Barb in the first season of the cult show, has revealed she suffered a mental breakdown the night before a big biology test at school and told her mother she wanted to die.
"Up until that point, I'd been wearily battling the demons that plagued me every day; silently suffering and feeling completely unable to share my thoughts with anyone," she writes. "That night, though, I gave up. My will to fight was gone, and as my mother tried to help me finish the project, I broke down and said what I'd been thinking, 'I don't want to be alive.' "
Her struggles were eventually diagnosed as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and depression, which came as a huge relief to the actress. "Now my struggles had a name and could be reckoned with," she adds. "Looking back, I wish I'd been able to reach out for help sooner."
Thanks so much @TeenVogue for giving me this opportunity. I hope someone will read this and feel a little more understood and a little less alone. https://t.co/04g4ALHsyN
— Shannon Purser (@shannonpurser) May 4, 2018
On Friday, May 4, Shannon thanked the Teen Vogue editors for publishing her essay on teen depression, tweeting, "Thanks so much @TeenVogue for giving me this opportunity. I hope someone will read this and feel a little more understood and a little less alone."
