Christina Applegate has kept her fans in the loop regarding her battle with multiple sclerosis since she was diagnosed three years ago.
Her latest update? āI donāt enjoy living. I donāt enjoy it. I donāt enjoy things anymore.ā
The āDead to Meā and āMarried… With Childrenā TV star, 52, said her depression recently returned after more than 20 years as she got brutally honest about the mental toll of her battle with MS. āI give up so easily,ā she told her āMeSsyā podcast co-host, āSopranosā actor Jamie-Lynn Sigler, in an episode published Tuesday.
Applegate announced in 2021 she had been diagnosed with MS, an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system and can result in progressive physical and cognitive decline. Since unveiling her diagnosis, the Emmy-winning actor has been open about her condition ā from the 30 lesions on her brain to the difficulty and discomfort of attending all-day Hollywood events like the 2023 Emmy Awards, where her colleagues celebrated her with a standing ovation.
Applegate said on the podcast that she becomes discouraged and hopeless easily and that caring for her teenage daughter is one of the few things motivating her amid her illness.
āIām in a depression right now which I donāt think Iāve felt that for years, like a real, fā-it-all depression,ā Applegate said. āLike real depression, where itās kind of scaring me too a little bit because it feels really fatalistic, it feels really āend of.āā
She added: āIām trapped in this darkness right now that I havenāt felt in … probably 20-something years.ā
Applegate said she did a ābig thingā to address her depression: She got in touch with a therapist. She said she held off on initially seeking a mental health expert because she was āafraid to start crying.ā Instead, her āway of doing things is to make fun of myself.ā
The āraw, honest and triggeringā conversation about depression was a way for Applegate and Sigler ā who also lives with MS ā to air their feelings, Applegate said in a Tuesday tweet.
āWhen we hold in feelings of despair we give those feelings incredible power,ā she said.
She continued: āBy just sharing we free ourselves. Never feel alone. There is always an ear somewhere. Love you.ā
MS is an incurable disease, and Applegate revealed earlier this year that she might have had symptoms for as long as seven years prior to her official diagnosis. āI didnāt pay attention,ā she told āGood Morning Americaā in April. Despite the support from fans and colleagues, the actor told GMA host Robin Roberts she still struggles with her disease.
āI wake up and Iām reminded of it every day. ā¦ But I might get to a place where I function a little bit better,ā she said in March. āRight now Iām isolating, and thatās kind of how Iām dealing with it is by not going anywhere because I donāt want to do it. Itās hard.ā