Sarah Silverman is known for her sassy, sharp-tongued comedy, but like many comedians, her sense of humor grew from darker places. Silverman got candid about her first bout of depression, and how she battles to overcome it on a daily basis.
The 44-year-old has been in the spotlight as a comedian for quite some time. But behind the scenes, she has been struggling with depression since she was just 13 years old. Sarah bravely discussed the “dark places” her condition has taken her throughout her life in an interview with Glamour magazine, recounting her personal battles from the day the depression kicked in.
While Sarah Silverman points out that things have gotten much better, she admits that she still has “downward spirals” every now and then.
She revealed that she first became depressed after coming home from a "miserable" school trip where she had to hide her "gigantic and shameful secret" of bed-wetting from her friends.
"My mom was there to pick me up, and she was taking pictures like a paparazzo. Seeing her made the stress of the last few days hit home, and something shifted inside me," she told the magazine in its November issue.
"It happened as fast as the sun going behind a cloud. You know how you can be fine one moment, and the next it's, 'Oh my God, I f***ing have the flu!?' It was like that. Only this flu lasted for three years."
She added: "My whole perspective changed. I went from being the class clown to not being able to see life in that casual way anymore."
After weeding through several therapists and medications, Sarah Silverman said she felt like herself again when she began her comedic career doing stand-up alongside earning a degree at New York University.
So when the feeling came back at age 22, she had a much better grasp on how to control it. To this day, it isn’t easy, but Sarah’s struggles have helped her remain positive through the tough times.
"I still have downward spirals, days when I have to drag myself onstage to do stand-up or I'm just tweeting Morrissey lyrics from my bed. But there's one thing I know that I used to not know: It will pass," she said.
