Maurice Benard Reveals When He Knows He Needs Help

Following up on her earlier conversation about extreme shyness in her childhood and love of music. Paige Herschell returned to State of Mind for part 2 with Maurice Benard, (Sonny Corinthis) this weekend.

The actress, who played Jacinda Bracken on General Hospital, discussed some of the darker things people deal with in life, including mental health battles and substance abuse.

Benard Explains His ‘Gears’ Approach

Maurice Benard is always very open about his history with drinking, and he admitted to reckless behavior on the road during his younger years.

On State of Mind, he told Paige, “I used to get on the freeway and drive 60, 70 miles an hour,” adding, “So God was with me, because I could have killed somebody or died.”

Next, the two daytime actors discussed how fear factors in when it comes to addiction and reaching out for help. Maurice admitted that sometimes in his life he gets scared, but the fear actually helps to keep him on track.

“What makes me stop doing the stupid shit that I do is fear,” Benard said.

Paige agreed that fear can actually work as a positive force. The GH alum remembered how her mom struggled for years with alcohol dependency, and things only changed when she dished her mom an ultimatum.

“I told her, ‘You’re going to lose me,'” Herschell shared. “And once I said that… she helped me out a lot by getting help.”

Benard suggested that the possibility of losing her daughter had given her mom the motivation to change.

Talking about how people can manage severe mental health conditions, Maurice noted that it takes constant effort. He offered a simple driving analogy that helps keep his sanity intact. He likes to keep his life operating in “first or second gear.”

Getting into third gear becomes rather risky. Reaching fourth, fifth, or sixth gear means you could be heading straight into a crisis.

“If you go into fourth, fifth, now you need professional help,” Benard explained. “I couldn’t do it. When I’m in fifth gear, give me whatever it is you need to… medication you need to give me.”

Herschell Opens Up About Grief

Paige didn’t inherit her mother’s severe mental illness, but grief hit her very hard after her death. Grief can come in waves and literally take away your breath.

Notably, there’s always a temptation to erase the grief with substance abuse. When depression set in after her mom’s death, Paige agreed to take Prozac. She praised modern medicine for giving her back her focus when she was spiraling.

‘I Screamed For Her’

The discussion turned towards Herschell’s acting career, and the two General Hospital stars discussed the time she appeared on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Her character suffered a traumatic assault in a bodega back room. The scene required her character to come out screaming, and that intense moment carried very real personal pain.

Herschell explained that her mom had suffered multiple sexual assaults in her lifetime, and so she redirected the memory of that real trauma into her own performance.

“I screamed for her,” Herschell said. “And I screamed for all of the other people.”

She praised lead star Mariska Hargitay, calling her “an absolute angel” who uses the show to help survivors tell their stories.

Maurice Benard closed out the episode on a serious note. He talked about the ongoing crisis of addiction, overdose, and self-harm. “Good people are dying,” Benard said, adding, “That’s the problem.”

Both actors agreed that talking openly about their struggles remains the best way to help others find a way out.

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