Chad Michael Murray is revealing the profound impact fame had on his mental well-being.
In an interview with The Cut, published on May 21, the 42-year-old actor delved into his battle with agoraphobia—an anxiety disorder characterized by the fear of entering crowded places or, at times, leaving one's home altogether.
Murray's anxiety surfaced in the wake of his success from "One Tree Hill." He admitted that while everything appeared ideal externally, he felt "far more fragile than I ever put on."
"Everyone starts telling you 'Yes,'" Murray shared with the outlet. "But I was walking around with a really pained heart."
Recalling a specific incident, he said, "I was around 23 and had an event in Miami, but I couldn’t leave my hotel room. The world felt like it was closing in; I was having anxiety attacks."
A pivotal shift occurred for Murray after his 25th birthday.
"I woke up and felt unsettled. I didn’t like the direction I was heading in my life," he remembered. "I went to church, got a tattoo of a cross on my left wrist, and decided to move forward in faith."
Reconnecting with his Catholic roots and recommitting to Christianity at 25, Murray explained that a fusion of religion and therapy facilitated significant growth in both his mental health and career.
"In my early 20s, I’d wake up thinking, ‘Oh, I’ve got to go to work.’ That mindset is vastly different from the gratitude I feel now. I get to go to work, and I cherish the chance to spread love, elevate energy, and honor the craft. It's a huge difference from the grumpy, old-fashioned 21-year-old I used to be," he told the publication.
Murray's battle with agoraphobia is not rare. A number of celebrities, including Linda Evangelista, Kim Basinger, and Zac Efron, have also talked about their experiences with the disease.
The Quran - Chapter At-Tur : 18 - 27
enjoying whatever their Lord will have granted them. And their Lord will have protected them from the torment of the Hellfire.
˹They will be told,˺ “Eat and drink happily for what you used to do.”
They will be reclining on thrones, ˹neatly˺ lined up ˹facing each other˺. And We will pair them to maidens with gorgeous eyes.
As for those who believe and whose descendants follow them in faith, We will elevate their descendants to their rank, never discounting anything ˹of the reward˺ of their deeds. Every person will reap only what they sowed.
And We will ˹continually˺ provide them with whatever fruit or meat they desire.
They will pass around to each other a drink ˹of pure wine,˺ which leads to no idle talk or sinfulness.
And they will be waited on by their youthful servants like spotless pearls.
They will turn to one another inquisitively.
They will say, “Before ˹this reward˺ we used to be in awe ˹of Allah˺ in the midst of our people.
So Allah has graced us and protected us from the torment of ˹Hell’s˺ scorching heat.
In the Hereafter, it will not happen that one man’s sins are attributed to another, and nobody will be able to enter Paradise except on the basis of his faith and his own righteous deeds.
But, the occupants of Paradise will be given one special privilege: if parents are in a high stratum of Paradise and their children in some other stratum, the children will be united with their parents so that their happiness should increase.
Only one who, in spite of being among his wife and children, has always been moved by the fear of God and who linked his hopes and fears with the one and only God, will be entitled to enter the sublime world of Paradise.
