Zosia Mamet just made a startling confession. She’s been struggling with an eating disorder her whole life.

The 26-year-old actress (who plays 

Shoshanna Shapiro on Girls) has written about her struggle for Glamour magazine. In her column, she refers to the condition as her “addiction”.

Zosia’s not alone in her “addiction” – there are 30 million Americans and 900,000 Australians who also have the illness.

Mamet tells a harrowing story of starving herself as a teenager, and the way her father intervened to save her.

“I was only 17, living in misery, waiting to die,” she writes.

“

My dad eventually got me into treatment. 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.”

Zosia as Shoshanna on Girls.

Zosia goes on, beautifully, to talk about the recovery process – and how ultimately the disorder was not about weight or dieting. It’s “just the way the monster manifests”. She’s a healthy weight now, and obviously successfully carving herself a career in acting and comedy.

Zosia’s column should be compulsory reading for young women. In fact, all women. In fact, everyone.

You can read Zosia’s full column here.