General Hospital Kirsten Storms Says Brandon Barash Encouraged Her To Seek Help For Depression

It’s difficult for anyone to admit that they’re dealing with mental health issues, but more so when they’re celebrities on a popular soap, which General Hospital‘s Kirsten Storms (Maxie Jones) can attest to. Storms recently – and publicly – thanked her ex-husband and General Hospital’s Brandon Barash (Johnny Zaccharia) for encouraging her to seek medical help for her depression, which came to the public’s attention only recently.

Storms had to take an extended leave of absence from General Hospital back in 2011 due to a fight with endometriosis, and then had to deal with stress-induced skin conditions last year, when she was also dealing with the divorce from Barash and the complications around co-parenting their daughter, Harper Rose.

However, fans took to speculation surrounding Storms’ most recent leave of absence from the show, with several suggesting that she was dealing with a drug addiction. However, she quickly retaliated against the claims, admitting that she was actually suffering from severe depression. She also added that it was due to her ex-husband Brandon Barash’s encouragement that she sought help for her depression, something which she had been avoiding up to that point.

According to Soap Central, Kirsten Storms said Barash saw how much she was suffering and couldn’t bear to see his ex-wife in such pain, and thus, spoke to General Hospital executive producer Frank Valenti. Valenti and the show’s producers decided to give Kirsten four months off from work, and she took that time to focus on her health, both physical and mental.

Kirsten Storms has admitted that she spent a significant portion of that time figuring out the best balance to her depression medication and staying healthy, and how she desperately needed that time to get back to feeling herself. Of course, her return to full health has been further showcased by the return of Maxie Jones to General Hospital, especially given how much better Storms looks on the show. Kudos to Brandon Barash, General Hospital’s producers, and Storms herself for realizing that she needed help, and hopefully, it sets a strong example that health comes above all else.

What do you guys think about Kirsten Storms’ Maxie Jones return to General Hospital, and the fact that it was Brandon Barash’s encouragement that sought Storms to seek help for her depression? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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