Chad Michael Murray speaks out about anxiety disorder: 'The world felt like it was closing in'

The actor explained that he was "walking around with a really pained heart" in the early days of his career.

Chad Michael Murray is opening up about his decades-long battle with anxiety. 

The actor, who stars in the recently released Netflix rom-com Mother of the Bride, explained in a recent interview in the Cut that he lives with agoraphobia, which he began to experience while starring on the beloved CW series, One Tree Hill.

"I was around 23 and I had an event in Miami, but I couldn’t leave my hotel room," Murray told the outlet. "The world felt like it was closing in; I was having anxiety attacks."

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According to the Mayo Clinic, agoraphobia is a type of anxiety disorder that "involves fearing and avoiding places or situations that might cause panic and feelings of being trapped, helpless, or embarrassed." It notes that most individuals with agoraphobia develop it "after having one or more panic attacks, causing them to worry about having another attack," but that it can be treated through the use of "cognitive behavioral therapy and medicines."

Murray starred as Lucas Scott on the first six seasons of One Tree Hill from 2003 until 2009, and later returned as a guest star during the drama's final season in 2012. During his initial stint on the show, the actor told the Cut that he was "far more fragile than I ever put on" and struggled personally amid his rapid ascent to fame.

"Everyone starts telling you 'Yes,'" he said, "but I was walking around with a really pained heart." 

He realized that a change was in order on his 25th birthday. "I woke up and felt unsettled. I didn't like the direction that I was going in my life," he recalled. "I went to church, and I got a tattoo of a cross on my left wrist, and I was like, I'm going to move myself in faith."

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The Gilmore Girls alum revealed that it took a combination of both therapy and religion — as well as reading and painting — in order to find his footing once again.

"I always told myself, 'I'm doing this for my future wife and kids,’ and now here they are," he added. "It's been the greatest chapter of my life."

Following a brief marriage to his One Tree Hill costar Sophia Bush, Murray went on to tie the knot with his current wife, Sarah Roemer, in 2014. The couple share three children together: a son and two daughters.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.