Jennifer Lawrence: 'Hunger Games: Catching Fire' Star Suffered From Social Anxiety

Jennifer Lawrence has opened up about suffering from an anxiety disorder, PEOPLE reported Monday.

The Hunger Games star has been on the promotional trail for the latest installment of the movie's franchise, Hunger Games: Catching Fire. She graces the cover of French magazine Madame Figaro. She opened up about her early experiences from childhood.

"When my mother talks about my childhood, she always says there was a light within me. When I went to school, this light went out," the 23-year-old said.

Lawrence speculated that she may have suffered from an anxiety disorder.

"We never knew what it was, a kind of social anxiety," she said. "I went to see a shrink, nothing worked."

Lawrence said that she began to change when she started acting. She begged her parents to take her to casting and her life began a turnaround.

"We went off to New York and that's where I started acting. On stage, my mother saw the change taking place in me. She saw my anxieties disappear," said.

Lawrence said that acting made her feel like a different person. She felt as though she had worth and "made me happy because I felt capable whereas before I felt good for nothing. This is why mom fought for me to become an actress."