15 celebs who positively raise awareness for mental health

Katherine Barrell

Playing Officer Nicole Haught on Syfy’s demon-slaying Wynonna Earp has thrown Katherine Barrell into the limelight. And she’s taken the role very seriously. Not only does she play a lesbian character on TV, bringing much-needed representation to primetime television, Barrell is using her platform to speak out about mental health in today’s society.

She recently spoke at Green Ribbon Club’s 2nd annual silent auction for suicide prevention and brought up stories of her own battle with anxiety and depression throughout the years. She begins by saying how she struggling with the fine line between honesty and vulnerability and professionalism. She was worried that sharing her story might deem her “unhireable” to employers.

And I think that point alone is something everyone with a mental illness can relate to. How often are we afraid to talk about our struggles because we worry what others will think? How often do we hold back because our society teaches us that we should keep it to ourselves? That’s the most toxic part of it all.

She talks about how she relied on sleeping pills that she was prescribed; that instead of treating the underlying problem, she was seeking treatment to cover up the symptoms.

"I needed for someone to tell me that what I was experiencing was real. That this constant buzz of terror wasn’t a figment of my imagination."

Wynonna Earp fans are fast to thank Barrell for speaking so eloquently about a disease that so many are affected by. It’s a simple reminder that we’re never suffering alone in this.