‘I would never want someone else to feel that way’
Meghan Markle has said she is glad she spoke out about her mental health struggles, and that it was “worth it” if it’s helped out others.
In March 2021, the Duchess of Sussex revealed in an interview with Oprah that she had experienced suicidal thoughts during her time in the UK as part of the Royal Family.
Markle said during the interview that she “just didn’t want to be alive anymore” and had considered taking her own life
She has since opened up about why she chose to speak out about her struggles.
The duchess told CBS: “I think when you’ve been through any level of pain or trauma, I believe part of our healing journey, certainly part of mine, is being able to be really open about it.
“And I haven’t really scraped the surface on my experience but I do think that I would never want someone else to feel that way.”
“I would never want someone else to be making those sorts of plans and I would never want someone else to not be believed.
“So, if me voicing what I have overcome, will save someone or encourage someone in their life to really genuinely check in on them and not assume that the appearance is good so everything’s okay, then that’s worth it.
“I’ll take a hit for that.”
Meghan and Harry were speaking to the news channel to promote their new philanthropic project, The Parents’ Network.
The free, peer-to-peer support service aims to support to parents whose children have suffered from the negative effects of social media. It will be open to people in the UK, USA and Canada, and will offer “crucial support” to parents whose kids have faced “near-fatal harm” or are “managing ongoing mental health difficulties” after using social media.
The service will also help people who have experienced the loss of a child.
Harry and Meghan have two children, Archie, 5, and Lilibet, 3, and said being parents has made them think more about online safety.
Speaking of their children, Meghan said: “They’re amazing. But all you want to do as parents is protect them.
“And so, as we can see what’s happening in the online space, we know that there’s a lot of work to be done there, and we’re just happy to be able to be a part of change for good.”
Harry added: “At this point, we’ve got to the stage where almost every parent needs to be a first responder.
“And even the best first responders in the world wouldn’t be able to tell the signs of possible suicide. Like, that is the terrifying piece of this.”
