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\t\t<\/p>\n Gabrielle Anwar<\/strong><\/a> is opening up about her mental health struggles.<\/p>\n The 54-year-old Burn Notice<\/em><\/strong><\/a> actress penned a personal essay published in Business Insider<\/em><\/a> on Sunday (August 31).<\/p>\n In the essay, Gabrielle<\/strong> opened up about her lifelong struggle with bipolar disorder and how it\u2019s impacted her since childhood.<\/p>\n Keep reading to find out more\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy parents didn\u2019t have the tools to help me. Like many from their generation, they lacked the vocabulary and empathy we now have around mental health,\u201d Gabrielle<\/strong> wrote in the post, saying that she experienced her first manic episode when she was around 11 years old.<\/p>\n \u201cI was expelled from school and deeply ashamed. I began to realize that my reactions were disproportionate; everything was either euphoric or devastating. There was no middle ground,\u201d Gabrielle<\/strong> recalled.<\/p>\n When Gabrielle<\/strong> was 16, she started acting and said that it gave her an outlet that helped her mental health in a way, but it was still difficult for her privately. She was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but was hesitant to take medication and instead tried holistic treatments. <\/p>\n \u201cI experienced violent rages that frightened the people I loved,\u201d Gabrielle<\/strong> admitted in the essay. She went on to share that although she wasn\u2019t a perfect parent, she\u2019s found a medication dosage that has helped her to be more present for her family and for her granddaughter.<\/p>\n \u201cI used to think I was broken. Now I know I\u2019m whole. I\u2019m not perfect, but I\u2019m here, I\u2019m healthy, and I\u2019m doing the work. And that, to me, is the real happy ending,\u201d Gabrielle<\/strong> wrote in the post. <\/p>\n