General
Hospital's Kirsten
Storms Reveals
Mental Health
Struggles
Lifestyle - News
By HOPE CAMPBELL
"General Hospital" fans were surprised when Kirsten Storms took a leave of absence from the soap due to a skin disorder caused by anxiety. Storms, who has played Maxie Jones since 2005, is finally opening up about that time in her life and her mental health struggles.
Storms started developing skin problems due to mental health issues when she was going through a divorce, while raising her then-two-year-old daughter. Storms had an anxiety episode so bad that she checked into a hotel, and she decided to advocate for herself when she knew there was something wrong that wasn't just a result of depression and anxiety.
Storms was finally diagnosed with Bipolar 1 after she asked to be tested for the disorder, which led to a tremendous, positive change in her life. "It's weird to want to wake up and want to make your bed in the morning and take a shower and get dressed and start your day and not be consumed by all the things in your head," Storms said.