In honor of World Mental Health Day, 'The Good Place' actress urges people who are struggling to 'hang on just a bit longer' and promises a better result if they 'ask for help.'
- Oct 11, 2019
AceShowbiz - Jameela Jamil believes she is lucky to have survived suicide attempt six years ago. In honor of World Mental Health Day, the 33-year-old took to Twitter to share her own experiences with mental health.
She tweeted, "Today is #WorldMentalHealthDay. This month, 6 years ago, I tried to take my own life. I'm so lucky that I survived, and went on to use EMDR to treat my severe PTSD."
According to the EMDR Institute, EMDR is a form of psychotherapy that stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It "enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences". It helps patients process traumatic memories and feelings and come out on the other side feeling empowered.
"The Good Place" actress went on encouraging her fans to look for help if they ever need it. "I urge you to hang on just a bit longer and ask for help if you need it," she wrote. "Because things can turn around. I promise."
In a follow-up tweet, she recommended the works of Matt Haig, the author of "Reasons to Stay Alive", and Scarlett Curtis, the curator of "Feminists Don't Wear Pink", to her followers.
"There is so much work to do in Improving awareness and mental health care, and we need to further de-stigmatize the conversation around asking for help," she added. "While you're gathering the strength, I recommend the work of @matthaig1 @Ayishat_Akanbi and @scarcurtis ALL my love to you."
The British actress also took to Instagram to further spread her confession. Along with a screen capture of her tweet, she recommended helplines and online community groups online to those who couldn't afford therapy.
"Not everyone is lucky enough to be able to access affordable therapy. But if you can't, in the mean time, there are helplines ( @crisistextline @giveusashoutinsta ) and community groups online around the world and friends and family who might surprise you as to how supportive they can be," she noted.
She further added, "It's not something you have to tolerate on your own. You have nothing to hide or be ashamed of. I feel you. I've been there. And it's a process of radical self forgiveness, patience and care that will help you out. It feels like the pain, nightmares and exhaustion will never end sometimes, but they can. And they will."