Karamo Brown urged fans to prioritize their mental health in an emotional video in which he recalled one of the darkest periods of his life.
Netflix’s “Queer Eye” culture guru posted the video on his social media accounts Thursday, noting that it marked 12 years to the day he attempted suicide.
“I just felt like life could not get any better, everything that was happening to me was never going to change, and I tried to take my own life,” he said in the clip uploaded to Twitter, which can be found below. “If it wasn’t for my best friends Raymond and Tre calling the ambulance, getting me off that couch, I probably would not be here today.”
“As you see me on ‘Queer Eye’ helping people with their mental health, and you see me on my social media helping people, it’s because it’s important to me,” Brown said. “I know so many of us suffer from mental health issues, and we just don’t know where to turn.”
“If you get help and you do the work daily, your life can change. I’m living proof of that,” he added.
The 37-year-old father of two, who is a licensed social worker, has been frank about battling depression. In June, he told “The Today Show” that he sought respite from his early struggles in college by using alcohol and drugs.
“I was trained when I was in college that it was OK to go out and get drunk and maybe do a pill because I still got up and went to class,’” he said. “There was so much coming at me, I didn’t know how to handle [it] ― mixed with the fact that I started using cocaine at the same time. It was a very hard time for me.”
“It didn’t register to me that I had to check in with myself and I had to work on my mental health,” he continued. “I know a lot of people who are depressed and they walk around and they’re smiling every day, but no one’s asking them how they’re really doing.”
If you or someone you know needs help, call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You can also text HOME to 741-741 for free, 24-hour support from the Crisis Text Line. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention for a database of resources.
