Ashley Judd says shes gained a new perspective on mental health amid the grief she continues to experience following the death of her mother, Naomi Judd , by suicide this spring.

The Berlin Station star dropped by the Healing with David Kessler podcast for an emotional chat this week in which she shared how shes been processing her loss. A major first step, she said, was accepting that her mother had an undiagnosed and untreated mental illness for much of her lifetime.

There are different behavioral expressions, interactions, flights of fancy, choices that she made that I understand were an expression of the disease, Judd explained to the host. I understand that, and know that she was in pain and can today understand that she was absolutely doing the best she could, and if she could have done it differently, she would have.

Over the years, Judd said shed come to terms with the fact she was not the cause of her mothers illness, but also that she couldnt control it and couldnt cure it.

Still, shes hopeful the elder Judd was able to find a sense of peace that had eluded her for much of her life shortly before her death.