DailyMailTV EXCLUSIVE: Carson Daly talks mental health struggles and how people can get help in their own lives ... and reflects on his iconic TRL days

Carson Daly is speaking out about the mental health crisis currently plaguing the nation and getting candid about how he came to terms with his own struggles. 

DailyMailTV senior correspondent Alicia Quarles exclusively sat down with the 47-year-old star to find out what he's doing to help erase the stigma surrounding mental health issues. 

In his own life, Carson has suffered from debilitating anxiety for over two decades and he’s making it his mission to help others dealing with similar problems.  

'I think it's the most urgent problem that faces our country today, especially young people.' he said. 

The Today Show host recently embarked on a special series, Mind Matters, for the iconic morning show where he's destigmatizing the negatively around mental illness. 

After suffering from crippling panic attacks for years, Carson was diagnosed with a general anxiety disorder, a fact he accidentally shared on air.

'Was it scary saying it in front of the camera?' Alicia asked. 'Yeah,' Carson admitted, 'and I never really meant to. So, it was really organic. We were doing a piece on Kevin Love, the NBA basketball player who wrote an article for The Tribune. 

'And he was being very vulnerable and honest about a panic attack he had had before an NBA game, and as he was describing it during the piece, I was like, "oh, my god, that's me."'

After tackling his own mental health issues, Carson decided to turn his attention to helping others through powerful conversations in his Today series, Mind Matters. 

He explained that one of the most shocking discoveries he's made through this series is how many people are quietly suffering with mental illness and are unaware that help is out there. To aid them, Carson is joining forces with Project Healthy Minds, an organization confronting the mental health crisis head on.

'I mean, the numbers are astronomical when you think about mental health in this country,' he reflected. 'People aren't talking about mental health and if they are talking about it, they don't know how to get help. So Project Healthy Minds is going to help make that better. 

For people curious about where to start, Carson suggests that checking in with yourself or a friend is key. Other tips for people beginning this journey of mental wellness include taking deep, cleansing breaths or listening to calming music.

He is quick, however, to add that reaching out to professionals is nothing to be ashamed of and can be game changing. Carson said it takes the average American approximately 11 years to seek help for their mental health from when they first noticed symptoms.

'Imagine if you twisted your ankle to a basketball game and it took you 11 years to go to urgent care to see if it was broken,' he said, offering an analogy. 'That's the kind of stigma we're trying to break.'

It took Carson himself many years to recognize he was having anxiety attacks and several more before he was ready to get help. The host said that he actually went through his first panic attack while working for MTV. 

In the late nineties and early aughts, Carson became a household name among teens and tweens as the host of TRL (Total Request Live) on MTV. Looking back, the veteran television personality says those were the good old days. 

'I miss it all. I love it,' he laughed about TRL. 'I took my my 12-year-old son Jackson by Times Square and I was looking I was like, "Man, this used to be a sea of kids holding up Eminem signs.' 

'Things are so different now but they were the best days of my life,' he fondly recalled. 'I miss it a lot.' 

For more information on mental health resources, check out Project Healthy Minds.