Cara Delevingne thinks it’s "important" to talk about "mental illness".
The 25-year-old actress and model previously suffered with depression as a teenager, and explores the heavy themes of substance abuse, abusive parents, and other issues which affect mental health in her new young adult novel ‘Mirror, Mirror’, which was released today (10.10.17).
And the beauty think it’s crucial that these issues are talked about in a way that young people can connect with, as it can help them understand they’re not alone.
She said: "I think it’s really important that in this book, and generally, that mental illness is talked about. I think my depression came from a mixture of things, whether it was from pressure from, not only myself, but … to do well in school, from my parents to get good grades, and to be someone I thought I was that I wasn’t.
"You bottle so much up, you end up going mad. When you bottle emotions up that’s when it leads to [your] downfall."
The ‘Paper Towns’ actress made sure that her book conveyed the importance of reaching out to others, as she says that’s the one thing she wishes she knew when she was going through her struggles.
She added: "I wish I knew how important it was to reach out to people, to talk to people about how I felt. [To] talk about my emotions more and not run away from myself … To open up and not hide my feelings. Create more, learn more, take everything in because every moment is magic."
Cara has "dreamed" about releasing her novel her "whole life", and admits she was overwhelmed by the support she received at her book signing.
Speaking to People magazine, she said: "Promoting this book has been something I’ve been dreaming of my whole life. Honestly, I just did the book signing and it was the sweetest thing in the world … It was so nice to meet everyone and actually see people get this book."
Cara Delevingne: Mental health is important
