Kirsten Dunst says the tabloids got it wrong when they speculated on why she checked into Utah's Cirque Lodge rehab center earlier this year.

"I didn't go to Cirque Lodge for alcohol abuse or drug abuse," she reveals to E! Online's Marc Malkin. "I went there for depression."

The actress, 26, says it took time -- and discussions with family, friends and medical professionals -- before she made the decision to seek help.

"It was a good six months before I decided to go away," she explains. "I was struggling, and I had the opportunity to go somewhere and take care of myself. I was fortunate to have the resources to do it. My friends and family thought it was a good idea, too. But I didn't know where to go. My doctor recommended Cirque Lodge."

According to Kirsten, she's opening up about her experience in an attempt to slow the rumor mill.

"There's been a lot of misrepresentation about what is going on in my life, and it's been very painful for my friends and family," she says. "Everyone feels like they have to defend me ... Now that I'm feeling stronger, I was prepared to say something."

Besides, she points out, "Depression is pretty serious and should not be gossiped about."

Dunst's February check-in at Cirque, which is the same amenities-packed facility where Lindsay Lohan and Eva Mendes sought treatment, came on the heels of reports of her supposedly wayward behavior at the Sundance Film Festival.

"She does drink and she does have wild nights, but that was never the root of her issues," a Kirsten insider assures People. "She couldn't control her depression."

As for those recent whispers linking her to Ryan Gosling, her co-star on the currently filming drama "All Good Things," she laughs them off, insisting to E! that they're not an item.

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