Andrea Brillantes looks back on suffering from mental health struggles as a child actress
Andrea Brillantes has opened up about suffering from mental health struggles when she was only 13 years old.
Brillantes, who portrayed the titular role of Annaliza as a child actress in 2013, said that financial challenges and working at an early age led to her almost committing suicide at the age of 13. She also mentioned, without giving details, having "abusive father" then.
“Mga 13 po ako noon, tapos wala po talaga akong mahawakan and meron kasi akong void, as in may void ako sa heart ko noon,” Brillantes said in an interview with TV host Boy Abunda.
“Lagi po akong humihingi sa Kaniya ng, ‘Bigyan mo naman ako ng isang rason, isang kaibigan, o isa lang’,” recalling her pleadings to God then.
The actress went on to clarify that while her family didn’t have any shortcomings at that time, it was hard to cope with the pain that she felt.
“When you’re in so deep, hindi mo na nakikita ‘yung love na pinapakita ng iba. Sobrang lalim mo na eh, para kang may filter na itim. Magsisimula pa lang ang araw mo, ayaw mo nang simulan. Gigising ka nang ayaw mong gumising,” she added.
The 18-year-old Brillantes also shared that she suffers now from insomnia and anxiety. “Nagsimula po siya kasi maaga ako nagtrabaho. Maaga pong na-ano yung body clock ko, and kasi lagi po akong binabangungot and nagkakaroon ng sleep paralysis. Dahil d’un, nagkaroon na po ako ng fear na matulog,” she added.
The actress revealed that she’s currently receiving help from a therapist to help her deal with her mental health struggles.
Brillantes also opened up about feeling deprived of opportunities and scared about the future of her career during her early days in showbiz. “Para (mo) siyang jowa for five years, tapos may dumating lang na bago, pinagpalit mo na ako. Parang almost same pain. Masakit siya.”
Amidst her experiences, Brillantes shared that she’s working on achieving contentment in all aspects of her life. “I am Andrea and no matter how rough the road gets, I will make a path for myself,” she added.
Aside from Annaliza, Brillantes has also appeared in popular teleseryes like Kadenang Ginto and Huwag Kang Mangamba.