Kirsten Dunst told an E! News reporter that she made the decision to go to Cirque Lodge rehab in Utah because she was depressed, not because she had any problems with drug or alcohol abuse. She claims she needed to get away and her therapist recommended it to her:

“I didn’t go to Cirque Lodge for alcohol abuse or drug abuse,” Dunst tells me exclusively during a lunch break on All Good Things. “I went there for depression.”

The 26-year-old Hollywood veteran makes a point of explaining that while she consulted doctors along with family and friends about treatment, it was ultimately her decision to make.

“It was a good six months before I decided to go away,” Dunst says. “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.”

[From E! Online]

The Cirque Lodge website is all about addiction treatment, and doesn’t mention depression treatment. Their “admission” page lists “Drug Addictions, Alcohol Addictions and other Substance Abuse issues” under what they treat and doesn’t include depression or other psychiatric issues other than addiction.

Dunst wouldn’t be the first celebrity to say she went to rehab for treatment for depression, though. Ashley Judd revealed two years ago that she received treatment for emotional issues at a facility where her sister, Winona, was being treated for a food addiction. Judd said “My behaviors were treated like addictions. And those behaviors were killing me spiritually, the same as someone who is sitting on a corner with a bottle in a brown paper bag.”

If it worked for her that’s great. You just assume there are better ways to treat depression. Maybe Dunst had more traditional depression treatment with the therapists there and was able to stay in a relaxing setting. This might explain why Cirque Lodge officials completely denied that she was there rather than issuing a standard “no comment” – she may have been sequestered from the other patients.

Dunst says she’s speaking out to end the speculation. “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. Everyone feels like they have to defend me. They hear the rumors, and it puts them in a defensive position. Now that I’m feeling stronger, I was prepared to say something.”

Last week we reported on a story from Star Magazine in which Kirsten was said to have fallen off the wagon after she was photographed out at a bar. A new commenter with an IP address from California, Sammy, said:

“You will never know her and never know her reason for ‘rehab’…but I can assure you it’s never been drugs or alcohol despite what you all want to make up and believe.”

Dunst also categorically denies dating her co-star in the film she’s working on, All Good Things, Ryan Gosling.

Kirsten Dunst is shown after a hair appointment on 9/27/07, thanks to WENN.