90210’s AnnaLynne McCord reveals she has dissociative identity disorder

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Actress AnnaLynne McCord is coming clean about her mental health and is bravely admitting that she's not ashamed to admit her struggles. The former 90210 and Nip/Tuck actress has revealed that she has been diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder.

Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is what used to be commonly referred to as multiple personality disorder. McCord revealed her diagnosis during a sit-down interview with Amen Clinics founder Dr. Daniel Amen. McCord agreed to have her session recorded because she wanted to remove the stigma around mental health issues. The actress revealed that her doctor once told her that her disorder was quite serious and that at one time she said "You'll see me just show up with a black wig and a new personality. I was a tough little baddy, and then I'd be the bohemian flower child."

McCord detailed to Dr. Amen that it was during her time on 90210 when she realized her acting roles were actually making the issue much more difficult. Things came to a head in 2012 when McCord starred in the horror film Excision because she simply couldn't get out of the character. McCord says "I played a very cerebral, disturbed, strange little girl that was close to who I feel I am on the inside. It was very exposing, very confronting, probably a bit re-traumatizing without realizing it." McCord continues by adding "The crazy thing about it was that I wrapped that film at 2 AM pm a Tuesday and had to be a happy, crazy, Beverly Hills blonde bombshell on Wednesday at noon. I couldn't find her, she was not accessible. I was dark, I was very deep into this character Pauline and I couldn't get out."

McCord has been very vocal about past traumas that she endured growing up. The actress was raped as a teenager and that likely sparked a lot of these issues. The actress says "A year ago, I was in treatment for PTSD, and memories of my child sexual abuse came back for years all the way until I was 11 years old." McCord said she suffered memory loss regarding the traumatic events and explained "I don't have anything until 5. Then from 5 to 11, I recount incidents throughout. Then when I was 13, I have a singled-out memory that was one thing, but I don't have the sense of anything else at that time."

The dedicated anti-trafficking activist is really laying this all out on the table because she is "absolutely uninterested in shame." She goes on to say "There is nothing about my journey that I invite shame into anymore and that's how we get to the point where can articulate the nature of these pervasive traumas and stuff, as horrible as they are."

Kudos to AnnaLynne McCord for being brave enough to reveal this publicly. There is a lot of shame associated with mental health issues but getting her story out there will likely help many others who are feeling the very same way and it will lead them to get the help that they need. There is really no shame in acknowledging that something might be wrong with you because it's really the only way you can get help and a little bit of peace.

What are YOUR thoughts on AnnaLynne McCord sharing her mental health story?