Kirsten Storms has made two heralded returns! First, she reprised her role as Maxie on General Hospital, and this summer, she reconnected with her fans in person at the GH Fan Club Weekend.
Soap Hub was on the scene at the main cast event and spoke to the actress, who revealed on social media that her recent absence from GH was due to her suffering from depression.
Brandon’s Still A Rock In Her Life
“I’ve been really good,” Storms told Soap Hub about how she’s feeling these days now that she’s been and continues to receive treatment for her depression. “I feel the most centered and self-aware than I have in a long time. It’s good to be back at work and not be so anxiety-ridden.”
The actress explained that it was her ex-husband and father of daughter, Harper, Brandon Barash (ex-Johnny), who stepped in and helped Storms see that she needed some help.
“Brandon was the one who came to me and said, ‘I think we need to get your life settled and fixed because you’re going down a path and I almost don’t recognize you,'” Storms says.
Next, Barash spoke to GH executive producer Frank Valentini helped arrange for Storms to have some time off.
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“We decided I’d have three months off to get myself healthy, and then I had an extra month at home to just settle back in,” the actress says. “The difference of figuring out the [right] medication for my depression has changed my life.”
Father’s Days
Harper was in great hands during Storms’ recovery.
“During the time I had off, Brandon took care of her because I needed to be focused on myself. I still saw her and she knew I was getting help. I wanted to get better for her.”
Why Go Public?
Storms opted to go public with her diagnosis in order to help others who may be feeling the same thing.
“I knew I suffered from depression but not to this extent,” Storms shares. “I respect and admire Maurice [Benard, Sonny] so much for how [open] he’s been about his being bi-polar. I thought maybe [I could] help people see that [depression] is nothing to be ashamed about.”
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