General Hospital (GH) star Finn Carr (Rocco Falconeri) chatted with Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos) on State of Mind this Sunday. During their chat, they discussed growing up in the spotlight, mental health, asking for help, and social support.
Zoom & The Covid Years
The video Maurice posted on YouTube this Sunday was actually a repost from last year. The title changed, and the chapters arrived with a clear structure, but it was an old video. It might be because Maurice was on tour this week.
Last year, our article about Finn Carr focused on how he felt bad during the COVID years and wanted to speak to a therapist.
However, he struggled with the concept of doing it on Zoom. He was depressed, but the thought of his parents overhearing him talk about his problems put him off a lot.
Once the real-life Rocco Falconeri opened up, he found it easier. He also did a lot of exercise to help him stay focused. This week’s story delves a bit deeper into support for mental health.
Why Young Guys Need to Talk
Maurice Benard thanked Finn Carr for openly discussing his experiences at such a young age, noting how rare it is for teenagers to tackle these subjects so maturely.
In response, Carr pointed out that mental health remains a deeply taboo subject for men, especially young guys. While it can feel weird or uncomfortable to speak up, Carr noted that keeping struggles locked away only makes things worse.
The real-life Sonny Corinthos agreed because he also struggles with anxiety and depression amid his bipolar disorder.
The ABC veteran actor noted that mental health wellbeing takes learning to stay in the moment rather than letting a single negative thought spiral into a hundred thousand uncontrollable ones.
When You’re Not Fine
The conversation became rather insighful when the General Hospital duo discussed the way some folks try and hide their pain.
Benard admitted to a struggle where he knew what his trigger was, yet he chose to keep it bottled inside. When people would check on him, he would simply say, “Yeah, I’m fine,” even though he absolutely wasn’t.
For Carr, hiding his feelings was a major part of his four-to-six-month bout with depression.
He admitted that he actively tried to act like everything was good on the outside, purely because it was too difficult to vocalize the heavy thoughts and complex emotions he was experiencing.
Breaking Silence, Seeking Support
Breaking that cycle of silence is the toughest hurdle, but it’s also a critical step, the two men agreed.
Carr admitted that when he was in the thick of his depression, it took a few sessions with a therapist just to feel safe enough to open up.
He explained that anxiety is often loud and physical. It makes your thoughts race at a hundred miles an hour. Meanwhile, depression forces a person to close off completely.
However, he stressed that once he finally broke through that barrier and started talking to people, things gradually began to turn around and improve.
Medication and Team Support
Wrapping up their discussion on professional intervention, Benard opened up about the importance of having a reliable team.
He finds it useful to have both a psychiatrist and a therapist. He also discussed how being consistent with taking medication kept him mostly stable for over 31 years.
A warning arrived when Maurice Benard mentioned letting a mental health spiral get into “fourth, fifth, or sixth gear.“
In his experience, at that point, getting professional help and medication becomes essential to pull yourself back in.
Fortunately for Finn Carr, he didn’t end up needing to take antidepressants. By the time the medication was being discussed and ready to be prescribed, he was already on the upswing.
He credits his recovery to opening up, establishing a solid daily routine, and using physical outlets like swimming and rock climbing to keep his mind sharp and focused.
Takeaways From the Episode
Benard closed out the episode by saying how impactful Carr’s transparency would be for the audience.
He suggested that somewhere out there, a young boy who is currently trapped in the “quicksand” of depression might see the ABC soap star sharing his story, realize he isn’t alone, and finally find the courage to ask for help.
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