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Actress Rene Russo has declared there isnothing “brave” about her recent admission that she has bipolar disorder.
The star appeared on Good Morning Americaon Wednesday totalk to host Robin Roberts frankly about her condition and the fact that she takesmedication.
"For me, saying that people said, 'oh, you were so brave to come out' — to me, it's like saying, 'oh, I take medication for high blood pressure.' I would love to take credit for being brave, but I don't feel that way about it."
“Unfortunately I think depression and anxietyare really hard to live with,” she continued. “And what people don't need is to feelbad about themselves because they decide to go on medication.”
The 60-year-old actress first opened up abouther lifelong battle with the mood disorder on The Queen Latifah Show on October14. Her honesty and candidness has received praise from mental healthorganizations, who called her "brave" for discussing the illness thatendures sufferers with periods of elevated mood andperiods of depression.
"My mom said my whole childhood … was stop and go," the actress explained on the show. "I haven't shared this," she admitted. "I have friends who don't want to go on medication, and they are suffering."
“Iknow a lot of people are hurting out there and feel ashamed." The Thomas Crown Affair star then continuedshe hoped to “help anyone.”
Renewas on the show to promote her new film Nightcrawler which follows the story offreelance cameraman Louis Bloom, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, who sells his graphicfootage to a desperate news producer played by Rene.