The emotional reason Maurice Benard was forced to take a General Hospital break

Maurice Benard dedicated an episode of State of Mind to his own recent mental health issues.

While Sonny Corinthos goes through a hard time on-screen on General Hospital, Maurice Benard has been going through a tough time off-screen. Benard recently opened up about his struggles on State of Mind with Maurice Benard, his mental health-focused podcast.

Benard, who has bipolar disorder, explained that a recent bout of severe anxiety led to debilitating insomnia that caused him to have to take time away from the GH set.

"About a month ago, anxiety came knocking, and of course, I couldn't tell the triggers," Benard admitted. "A lot of that is my fault, not going to therapy like I should...Plus, I was playing a character on General Hospital that is bipolar and off his medication."

In the story, Valentin Cassadine made sure Sonny was only getting a fraction of the bipolar medication he was prescribed. Ava took things one step further and blackmailed the pharmacist into giving Sonny placebos. While Sonny is unaware about what is going on with his mental health, Benard is more tuned in.

Still, Benard doesn't blame Sonny's plight entirely, saying that was only "a little bit" of the reason for his own troubles. When the anxiety started, the actor's wife, Paula, and son, Joshua, were in Europe, leaving him without the emotional support he is used to.

"They're the two people who, when I am going through anything, can talk me out of it," he said. "So, they're gone, and I'm doing this basically alone."

Thankfully, Benard was able to turn to his two adult daughters, Cassidy and Cailey, and he visited doctors to try new medications. He also leaned on friends, including GH stars Steve Burton (Jason Morgan), Jonathan Jackson (Lucky Spencer), and Vanessa Marcil (ex-Brenda Barrett).

Eventually, the actor had to tell GH Executive Producer Frank Valentini what was happening.

"He was the most generous, compassionate [person]," Benard said. "I took two weeks off work, and he was nothing but incredible every time I would talk to him on the phone...but if I had to stay away another week, they would have had to recast."

When he finally returned to work, he had eight shows to tape in two days. He was pleased he was able to get through some of the more emotional scenes, but when he got home, he broke down with Paula and Joshua, who were back from vacation. After that, he started feeling better because he was able to release his feelings.

Benard went on to complete 20 episodes in two weeks and left people with inspiring words if they feel they can't do something.

"You can do it. You've got to keep moving forward," he said. "My wife says it to me all the time, 'You are stronger than you know.' And that is very, very true."

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Could you relate to any of Maurice Benard's story? Is it reassuring that GH has his back and gives him space to recover? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.

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