Mark Duplass confessed that dealing with his depression and anxiety can be a grind.
“It’s a really complicated system of making sure you get enough sleep, making sure you get exercise every day, making sure I’m being really careful about the medication I take, never to miss it,” the “Morning Show” star told Page Six exclusively at the Gotham Television Awards earlier this week.
The 48-year-old actor explained that he’s been on the same medication for close to two decades and “it’s a very fundamental critical part of my system.”
He further admitted that “it’s a delicate balance and ecosystem.”
“I feel like I gotta make sure I keep showing up and working and it’s exhausting sometimes, but what choice do I have?”
The indie filmmaker has been honest about his mental health on Instagram for several years.
In October 2023, he posted a photo of himself, broadly smiling on a red carpet, as he opened up about his battle with depression and anxiety.
“I have been struggling with anxiety and depression for most of my life,” he wrote in the caption. “When I see pictures of myself like this one, I can see the fear and sadness behind the smile. Even at my most ‘happy’ times. But at times like these, when the world is so deeply terrifying and saddening, it’s a struggle just to stay on my feet and keep from crashing.”
Duplass said that he has always been open about his mental health struggles with friends and family but after posting, realized that the subject is not as “demystified” as he had previously believed.
Once the post went viral, the “Creep” star said that he felt that “this is a torch that’s probably worth carrying now, so then I became much more consciously forward and sharing.”
Duplass explained that one of the perplexing things about dealing with depression is that “it’s not always rational when it comes.
“There can be times when things around you seem really bad and you’re doing well. There can be times when everything’s going really, really well and you can’t get out of bed. And that’s part of the confusing part of this thing, is, you know, why it hits and when.”
Despite all this, the “Penelope” co-creator believes that his depression and anxiety are “tied to my creativity and the way that my brain works.”
“So I wouldn’t change it,” he added, “but it’s not easy.”