Kate Beckinsale Gets Candid on PTSD, Says Experiencing 'Absolute Horror' Can 'Permanently Alter' Your Nervous System

Kate Beckinsale opened up about the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), explaining how someone, such as herself, can appear perfectly functional while privately dealing with severe trauma.

"There are men and women and children who have seen such absolute horror or experienced such absolute horror that their nervous system is permanently altered as a result," Beckinsale said in an emotional Instagram video. "And a lot of those people become incredibly good at masking it, and it's sad because they become so good that they get no grace whatsoever."

Beckinsale said trauma can continue affecting someone on and off.

"They get up, they go to work, they look after their kids, they provide for their family, they have a laugh, they're the fun person," said the sci-fi action queen. "But they don't sleep for more than an hour because when they do, it's full of nightmares. Anything — smells, sounds, thoughts, feelings — can trigger them into a place that is actually like h---," she spilled.

The Pearl Harbor star stressed that outward appearances can make serious struggles difficult to recognize.

"It really is true that if you haven't walked a mile in someone's shoes — however fancy you feel the shoes are — you have absolutely no idea what they may be carrying or masking or dealing with day and night," she stated.

She said some people become so practiced at concealing their distress that others may assume they are doing well.

"There are hundreds of thousands of people walking around with PTSD who are the bravest people ever and will never get recognized for it," Beckinsale said.

Beckinsale's message ultimately focused on how people respond to suffering they cannot see.

"Given the fact that it's invisible and you can't know, maybe err on being on the gentler side with people, being kinder with people," the London-born performer said. "If in doubt, be kind."

Beckinsale's comments come after years of publicly discussing grief and family loss.

Her father, actor Richard Beckinsale, died of a heart attack in 1979 when he was 31. Her stepfather, filmmaker Roy Battersby, died in January 2024, with Kate saying that seeing him die would haunt her forever.

Kate had an equally painful experience with her mother, Judy Loe, who passed on in July 2025. Speaking about the incident, Kate said, "I watched my mother degenerate and die."

The 53-year-old later reflected on the effect those losses had on her body and appetite.

"Such an incredible amount of suffering and what I will say, it doesn't make you feel very hungry," she continued. "It's like your body has closed down. I think it's shock and trauma."