General Hospital star Chris McKenna is opening up publicly for the first time about his battle with bipolar disorder.
The 48-year-old actor shared his diagnosis in a sneak peek of the December 21 episode of his co-star Maurice Benard’s “State of Mind” podcast.
McKenna reflected on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected his mental health. “It just lingered on and on… the monotony and not, like, moving on with my life,” he said. “I was back at home, and it really started to do a number on my mental health in particular.”
Benard, 62, asked if there was “anything specific for you that happened as far as you want to talk about,” which led McKenna to reveal his diagnosis. “Well, I’ll talk about the fact that I have bipolar disorder,” he said. “This is the first time I’m ever talking about it publicly.”
Benard, who also has bipolar disorder, responded warmly: “So, from one bipolar to another bipolar, how you doing, brother?”
McKenna shared that while he’s in a better place now, it hasn’t always been easy. “I’m doing good right now. It hasn’t always been the case, but I’m good right now,” he said.
He also reflected on years of struggling with undiagnosed symptoms. “I had my first breakdown when I was a teenager and then lived my whole life with this disorder undiagnosed, which is fascinating in retrospect,” he admitted.
During the COVID lockdown, McKenna experienced “heavy cyclothymia,” a rare mood disorder that causes emotional ups and downs. This led to “my first dangerous depression since [I was] a teenager, which was followed by a manic psychotic episode that required hospitalization.”
It was during this hospital stay that McKenna received his bipolar disorder diagnosis. “I finally got my diagnosis that I needed my whole life and got on medication, and that’s where I am today,” he told Benard.
Earlier this year, McKenna joined the cast of General Hospital as Jack Brennan, making his first appearance in February. Before this, he played Joey Buchanan on One Life to Live from 1990 to 1993 and Detective Mark Harding on The Young and the Restless from 2014 to 2015.
Benard has played Sonny Corinthos on General Hospital since 1993. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 22, he became a mental health advocate after publicly sharing his struggles in 2000. On a November episode of his podcast, Benard opened up about the ongoing challenges of living with the disorder, saying the thoughts can be “un-fricking-bearable,” but he’s proud of himself for pushing through.