Jameela Jamil has candidly opened up about how she attempted to take her own life for the second time eight years ago, after suffering from a nervous breakdown.
The actress, 33, detailed her battle with depression and why she felt ‘everyone would be better off without me’ in an honest conversation with Jada Pinkett Smith and her daughter, Willow Smith, on Red Table Talk.
After the attempt, Jameela revealed she overhauled her life following the discovery her depression was linked to ‘repressed rage’, at which stage she decided to stop filtering what she said.
‘Everyone would be better off without me’: Jameela Jamil opened up about her suicide attempt eight years ago on Jada Pinkett Smith’s Red Table Talk
She said on the Facebook talk show on Thursday: ‘Eight years ago… I tried to kill myself because I had a nervous breakdown.
‘It was the second time I tried and I thought, ‘Well, I’m just gonna do it again if something huge doesn’t change– if everything doesn’t change.’ And so I decided to try and figure out my trauma, what had taken me to this low point…’
Jameela previously revealed she was diagnosed with a rare genetic tissue disease as a child, in addition to an eating disorder and spinal damage when she was involved in a car accident at 17-years-old.
According to the star, she also suffered from pneumonia and was overworked, which contributed towards her breakdown and subsequent suicide attempt.
The Good Place actress reflected: ‘I wasn’t able to lie down and sleep. I was also a DJ, so I was DJ’ing all night…working myself to the bone because also, as a woman, you’re always told that you have a sprint, not marathon, and so you never say no to a job.
Pushed to the limit: The actress, 33, opened up about her battle with depression and her nervous breakdown on the Facebook talk show on Thursday (pictured December 2019)
‘You never say no to an opportunity. I was working myself to death. Everything was falling apart and I think I just reached my limit.
‘Everyone has a limit of how much s**t you can eat in this world and my cup of s**t runneth over and so I was like, ‘…what is the point? I’m not contributing anything to anyone. Everyone would be better off without me…”
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Her brush with death forced Jameela to take action, so she bravely decided to reach out for help.
She added: ‘[I] realized, after seeking help, I had very severe depression and that my depression was caused by repressed rage.
‘Upon realizing that, I was like ‘Okay, I have to just completely change everything’…And so I decided to just get rid of my filter, to mixed results on the internet, and I decided to never hold anything in ever again.’
Too much: Jameela revealed her battle with pneumounia and intense work schedule contributed towards her suicide attempt as she said: ‘I think I just reached my limit’
Jameela also spoke on the pressure of healing from her past trauma and being authentic, while living up to high expectations in the public eye.
‘While I understand that is not always the most responsible position to take, especially when you are a public figure,’ she continued. ‘This has just been my personal journey to try to not kill myself again.’
The actress revealed in February that incessant online bullying had ‘triggered’ her to the ‘point of near death’ once more.
Twitter users suggested that the actress has Munchausen’s syndrome- a psychological disorder where a person pretends to be ill or deliberately creates symptoms- following her open discussions about her chronic health conditions.
Jameela responded on social media: ‘I’m tired of the bullying, the taunting over my mental and physical health.’
For confidential support in the UK call the Samaritans on 116123, or visit a local Samaritans branch
Hate: The actress said in February that she was ‘triggered’ to the ‘point of near death’ after fans accused her of having Munchausen’s syndrome, a psychological diorder where someone pretends to be ill
Source: Daily Mail
