Carson Daly, the TV host, and producer, is sharing his struggles with mental health issues in order to help others. The star, 47, opens up about the debilitating anxiety and panic he has suffered for more than 20 years.
He specifically has GAD or generalized anxiety disorder which is characterized by excessive, uncontrollable, and often irrational worry about events and activities. Worry can interfere with daily functions and sufferers often are overly concerned about everyday matters such as finances, death, family, or work.
“For a long time I didn’t know how to define it, I opened up to friends and one of them who had a history of anxiety, was like, “Man you have anxiety”, he explains.
Daly says that with cognitive therapy he was educated on how to manage his struggles. After that, he says he wanted to help others dealing with the same issues.
He heard about “Project Healthy Minds” through the rapper, Logic. It is a nonprofit organization founded by a diverse group of people who are coming together to break the stigma around mental health.
The organization also focuses on giving people access to resources through technology. “Anyone can use their phone to find a 7-eleven and a get a Slurpee within seconds, so these tools need to be used in the same way to help people find the mental health resources they need”, he states.
Daly hopes that by sharing his story he can empower others.