Nora Tschirner: That’s why she kept quiet about her depression for years

Nora Tschirner
She hid her depression: “I categorically lied”

© Future Image / imago images

Nora Tschirner is known for her lively, cheeky manner – for a long time hardly anyone suspected that she had to struggle with depression. Fearing professional disadvantages, the actress kept the diagnosis to herself for a long time.

Nora Tschirner (39) wants to free the subject of depression from its shadowy existence. A year ago, the actress spoke about it in the podcast “Hotel Quarantäne” with host Matze Hielscher. Now she stated in a recent newspaper interview what her life with depression is like.

Nora Tschirner: At 18 she had her first depressive phase

In the podcast, the actress said that she first heard of the disease in biology class: “At that time I was still completely unclear what it was. Not many years later I found out first-hand what it was,” said the 39-year-old price. At 18, she had her first depressive phase, but ten years ago she had its low point, the “Tatort” star now reports to the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. Tschirner went on to say that she had filled out a checklist on the website of a depression clinic: “It said: If you answered yes to three of the following twenty questions, it would be very good if you came by as soon as possible. It was 19.”

Despite this diagnosis, the Berliner kept her depression to herself. On the one hand, because “as a privileged person” she felt that she shouldn’t have these problems. On the other hand, she was also afraid of professional disadvantages. For this reason, she always gave false information in the questionnaires for the insurance company:

“When I say that I’ve had mental illnesses in the past five years, the question arises: Is that why a day of shooting has been canceled at some point? Regardless of whether the answer is yes or no, the production department will then carefully consider whether they can afford it want to occupy you. I lied categorically because otherwise I would not have got a job. ”

Depression – “the big, dark, strange barrel”

Her experience with mental illness also opened Nora Tschirner’s eyes to the topic in the Freundeskreis. So she was able to convince many people to go into therapy and accompanied them, the actress said a year ago in the podcast “Hotel Quarantine”. She sees the fact that the disease is still taboo today, especially in older generations, as a major problem, especially in the current time of crisis. “What happens in therapy is that you look into this big, dark, strange, threatening barrel that everyone has in them. Your own ego, your own fears, all of the unprocessed emotions,” explained the “Tatort” – Star Matze Hielscher. “A lot of people spend their lives with this barrel behind them pretending that this barrel doesn’t exist. Turning around and taking a look is actually the step when you start therapy.”

Nora Tschirner: “I was afraid I would break up”

It was not an easy step for the actress herself to seek treatment. “When I first went into therapy, I remember that I was really afraid I would break up,” she remembers, but encourages her: “Spoiler alert: It’s not like that! But that’s the hurdle. And with a generation that is even older than us, this hurdle is even greater. ”

The Berliner sees a great difficulty in this attitude. “If we now don’t manage to deal with our fears and to discover and tame them before certain numbers of deaths and economic problems occur here, then it may be that we will also get very upset,” warns you.

How is Nora Tschirner today?

In the meantime she has been symptom-free for many years, Tschirner tells the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” today. You have also built a good environment and are taking precautions, she adds in the conversation. “I would probably never have been able to completely prevent the disease, but if I had taken better care of myself, I would not have fallen that deep,” is her conclusion today.

Important note for those affected:
Do you suffer from depression, have thoughts of suicide or do you know someone who has voiced them before? The telephone counseling offers help. It is anonymous, free and available around the clock at 0800/1110111 and 0800/1110222.
A list of nationwide aid agencies can be found on the website of the German Society for Suicide Prevention.

This article originally appeared on GALA.de.

Source used: Hotel quarantine “, sueddeutsche.de

spg