'Girls' Star Zosia Mament Reveals She Struggles With an Eating Disorder

"Girls" actress Zosia Mamet has opened up in her column, My Zo-Called Life, about her long-time struggles with an eating disorder.

"I was told I was fat for the first time when I was eight," she wrote. "I'm not fat; I've never been fat. But ever since then, there has been a monster in my brain that tells me I am - that convinces me my clothes don't fit or that I've eaten too much. At times it has forced me to starve myself, to run extra miles, to abuse my body... I was only 17, living in misery, waiting to die."

Mamet adds that she sought treatment because of her family.

"My dad eventually got me into treatment," she reveals. "He came home one night from a party, took me by the shoulders, and said, 'You're not allowed to die.' It was the first time I realized this wasn't all about me. I didn't care if I died, but my family did. That's the thing about these kinds of disorders: They're consuming; they make you egocentric; they're all you can see."

Mamet advises those who are in similar situations to seek help.

"The first step, I think, is for those of us who are suffering to start talking about it: people like me, who have been diagnosed, and people that live in that gray area of 'food control issues.' We all suffer in some small way; we are all a little bit ashamed of that second cupcake. Let's diminish the stigma. Let's remind one another that we're beautiful.

"Maybe you'll help a friend. Maybe you'll help yourself."