Jameela Jamil Opens Up About Past Suicide Attempt in Honor of World Mental Health Day

The Good Place star is sharing her experiences in the hopes of creating change

By Cydney Contreras Oct 10, 2019 8:30 PMTags
Jameela JamilBroadimage/Shutterstock

Jameela Jamil is sending her love to those who struggle with mental health issues. 

The Good Place star is sharing her experiences with mental health, like many other celebrities, in honor of World Mental Health Day. And as always, she's keeping it real with her followers, while also sharing words of encouragement. On Twitter, the actress shared, "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 [eye movement desensitization and reprocessing] to treat my severe PTSD. I urge you to hang on just a bit longer and ask for help if you need it. Because things can turn around. I promise."

"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. While you're gathering the strength, I recommend the work of @matthaig1 @Ayishat_Akanbi and @scarcurtis ALL my love to you," she adds.

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Since coming into the spotlight as a star on The Good Place the actress has cemented her position as a warrior for the body-positivity movement. She's an outspoken opponent of weight-loss supplements and other unhealthy practices that she says are the root of many mental health issues among women and men. 

Watch: Jameela Jamil Did Her Own Makeup on "The Good Place"

Just recently, the star told Trevor Noah all about her mission to remove these products from social media after experiencing the adverse effects they cause. Now, thanks to her efforts, companies like Facebook and Instagram will no longer advertise these weight-loss brands to people under the age of 18. "These two huge corporations are most importantly making a stand against [it]," she explained.

This is "just the start" for Jameela too. Next on her to-do list is creating legislation to outlaw these potentially harmful products. She said, "I'm someone who took these products and I'm never going to have my full health back and I'm damned if this is going to happen again 20-years later."

If you or someone you know needs help, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.