Colton Haynes Opens Up About His ‘Not Easy’ Battle Against Anxiety, Depression

Colton Haynes is speaking up over his decades-long battle against anxiety and depression on World Mental Health Day.

On Tuesday, the “Arrow” actor uploaded a photo of himself accompanied by a lengthy caption about his struggles last month. Haynes also revealed that he has struggled with anxiety and depression ever since he was in fifth grade. The actor encouraged everyone to seek help whenever they are feeling down or are in their darkest moment.

Haynes, who came out as gay last year, also said that a lot of people pass anxiety and depression off as people just being dramatic. However, it’s a chemical imbalance that no one wants to have or experience. Towards the end of his post, the 29-year-old actor said that he’s with every single person who is fighting and has survived mental illnesses.

Meanwhile, this is not the first time that Haynes talked about mental health. In 2014, he wrote an article for Paper magazine detailing his struggles. He uploaded a photo of the article via his Instagram account in December of last year.

“The person who used to love going out and talking to my family/friends… Now I’m so closed off to the world that I can’t even get up enough courage to go in public. I’m afraid of people and have become agoraphobic. I used to look forward to working out and working on my physical appearance to build up the idea of what people think I am. I am not my cover. I am so full of emotion and love and I wish I was able to express that again,” he wrote.

Last year, Haynes revealed that he no longer wants to go back to that dark time in his life. In his Instagram post, the actor said that he has finally taken control of his life again and is free. Through this process, Haynes has also found love and comfort from his fiancé, Jeff Leatham, who he got engaged to in March.

While speaking with Entertainment Tonight, the actor said, “I’m so blessed and happy for the future and my life together with Jeff.”