Evan Rachel Wood says child stardom stopped her from getting help

"Westworld" star Evan Rachel Wood has said the pressures of being a child star prevented her from seeking psychological help.

In February, the 30-year-old actor narrated her sexual abuse story when she appeared to testify before America's Congress. She recounted the incidents of rape, bondage, and psychological abuse in her testimony.

In an interview with Refinery29, Wood said the pressure of being "perfect" stopped her from getting help.

"I had been a child star my whole life, and I had this intense pressure to be perfect and to not have problems and to not burden anyone with problems and to work. It kept me from getting help for a long time," Evan said.

"There was something really freeing about it, and I realised that I really liked myself. And when I stripped literally everything away, I couldn't sing, I had nodes on my vocal chords. I couldn't walk. I was in a mental hospital. I was like, 'Wow how did I get here?'" she added.

The actor, who has a four-year-old son with ex-husband Jamie Bell, admitted seeking help "wasn't as hard as feeling crazy" and said now being a mother stopped her from getting "upset over little things anymore".

"Too often we treat women's pain as lunacy, and I felt like that for a really long time - that somehow I was the crazy one and I had done something to deserve this. Until you get help and face these issues, we'll be stuck in these narratives...

"I want to be the best I can be for him. Having a near-death experience or a rock-bottom experience does change you and enlighten you and makes you see the world differently. It makes you appreciate things on a different level. I just don't get upset over little things anymore," Wood added.