Rose McGowan calls her depression a "beast" in powerful statement on mental health

Rose McGowan has shared a moving statement on mental illness, calling her clinical depression "an intense beast." 

The Charmed star took to Instagram earlier today to update her fans on her recent mental health struggles and offer some words of support for others who may be suffering. 

"I haven't been posting because I've been deeply sad and very low," she revealed to her 777k followers. "Depression is an intense beast." 

The TV and film actor, who detailed her depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in her 2018 autobiography, Brave, went on to explain the impact of these conditions on her daily functioning. She spoke of having a mind that wants to "sleep forever" and prevents her from seeing any light. "It blocks the sun for so many of us," she wrote. 

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Rose's depression also causes her to cry tears of desperation in the hopes of the pain subsiding. She emphasized the overwhelming nature of her emotions, calling it the "I just want it to stop kind of sad." 

Despite the gravity of her despair, Rose hopes that her message will strike a chord with anyone else struggling with their mental health. 

"If you suffer from this, I want you to know you are not alone. I want me to know that I'm not alone," she continued. 

"Depression is a beast to dance with. Sometimes the beast holds your head down. But what I know is that there will be light again. For all of us." 

Rose ended the post on a poetic note, writing, "The day will come when the weight of sadness will disappear. And we will raise our faces to the sun." The message, which was typed against an image of a cloudy, yellow sky, isn't the first of the outspoken actor's statements on mental health. 

Rose shared details of the trauma she has suffered both childhood and adult events in her 2018 book, having experienced multiple cases of abuse throughout her life. She was raised in the Children of God cult in Italy, where she was beaten by its leaders and exposed to child-adult sexual relations. She narrowly avoided molestation and escaped to the United States, only to become homeless as a teenager after escaping a treatment facility for drug addiction. 

Rose continued to be abused when she began working as an actor. She has alleged that film director Harvey Weinstein raped her in 1997 in a hotel room, an accusation he has denied. 

According to the New York Times, the convicted sex offender paid her $100,000 to stay quiet about the incident and subsequently blacklisted her from the entertainment industry. Rose's courageous decision to come forward has been credited as a major propellant of the Me Too movement, a social campaign to end sexual harassment and abuse that took hold following the Harvey Weinstein scandal in late 2017.