Nicholas Brendon, best known for his role as “Xander Harris” on the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and most recently for his role as “Kevin Lynch” on "Criminal Minds," reveals that he has been battling depression and alcohol abuse and has found himself arrested five times in the last eight months.
“Dual diagnosis means that I’m [expletive] crazy, and I’m a [expletive] drunk,” Brendon says. “Depression is a real thing; and I was ashamed of it a little bit, too.”
Brendon says he began drinking socially at the age of 26, and it soon became a way for him to cope with anxiety. “It goes from, Hey, I’m having fun, to then I, literally, needed to have a drink before I could have a conversation with people,” he says. “I knew by the end of 'Buffy' that things were a little out of control for me.”
After "Buffy" ended, Brendon says he landed a role on another TV show that soon was cancelled, and he says he felt like Hollywood wasn’t interested in him anymore. "I took it personally," he says, adding that he drinks because he can't handle his emotions. Drinking initially quells the anxiety, definitely, but then it just adds to the anger.”
Brendon explains the dangerous combination that he believes led to his string of arrests – sleeping pills and alcohol. “That combination, for me, was very deadly,” he says. “When you do those two things, you just black out and obviously, a rage exists, because I would trash hotel rooms. I truly was insane. There was no rational thinking in it at all.”
In the video above, Dr. Phil tells Brendon he wants to make a plan to save his life, but when he starts to ask the actor about his behavior, Brendon walks away. This episode of "Dr. Phil" airs Wednesday. Is Brendon ready to make hard choices and take the steps needed to save his life and career? Find out where you can watch here.
Also on HufPost:
