Former Destiny’s Child star, Michelle Williams, has opened up to her followers and shared that she is taking time out to look after her mental health, and has reportedly admitted herself into a mental health institution in just outside of LA [as said on TMZ]. In 2013 Michelle first opened up about her suffering, informing the public of her depression and ‘suicidal thoughts’ which she had been a victim of for many years, and has since been a proud activist of the raising of mental health awareness, specifically in the black community where it has been seen to be looked down upon.
In a discussion on ‘The Talk’ TV show in 2017, the 2000s sensation spoke of how she had been experiencing bouts of depression since the age of 13, which she believed could have been caused by the suppression of bad memories and thoughts. She also added how people in her life at the time of her lowest point, such as Matthew Knowles (father of Beyoncé and manager of Destiny’s Child), found it hard to understand due to the fact that she was so successful at the time, which, sadly, is often the case for many people suffering with depression. Michelle further exclaimed how she wanted the discussion of mental health to be ‘normalised,’ which is why she felt able to open up about.
On Tuesday (17th July), Michelle shared the news of her seeking institutional treatment for her mental health by way of a typed social media post. ‘I recently listened to the same advice I have given to thousands around the world and sought help from a great team of healthcare professionals,’ she writes in her statement.
Since this revelation, Michelle has received thousands of words of kindness and pride from both her friends and her fans, including Missy Elliott and LaTavia Roberson, Michelle’s fellow Destiny’s Child alumna:
I want to lift our sis up in prayer because there are so many people battling this & many trying to deal with it alone😔Please No jokes this is REAL & as human beings let’s keep the ones who are openly dealing with it uplifted & be encouraging to them! Love u @RealMichelleW❤️ https://t.co/XJEIPkbovf
— Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott) July 17, 2018
‘I want to lift our sis up in prayer because there are so many people battling this & many trying to deal with it alonePlease No jokes this is REAL & as human beings let’s keep the ones who are openly dealing with it uplifted & be encouraging to them! Love u @RealMichelleW’
Michelle’s revelation of poor mental health and her advocacy of mental health awareness has further raised questions about the way that mental health is treated within the black community, and whether fans should be held accountable for her decline in mental health, due to the decades of ‘slamming’ and cyber bullying which she had dealt with:
Let’s uplift our sis Michelle Williams at this time.
Depression and mental health often go overlooked ESPECIALLY in the black community. This is real and she is not the only one. https://t.co/oWZ8tmOB1E
— Blk Girl Culture (@blkgirlculture) July 18, 2018
It’s highly…interesting to see a certain demographic of twitter, who roasted on Michelle Williams every chance they could get, talk about her mental illness issues and how bullying may have effected that…and they talking like they wasn’t apart of it! pic.twitter.com/6NZ8BYmRXx
— The Infamous Bigger Long (@CRWNDKING_Brand) July 18, 2018
Though those haven’t been addressed by Michelle herself, it does highlight the fact that social media, and the comments that come with it, can have a massive effect on both a person’s character and their mental health. Although it is a common thought that those successful will remain unaffected by hate mail and depression, we can see from countless celebrities (including media personality and former rapper Bow Wow who has openly spoken about his experiences depression), that this is not the case.
https://twitter.com/IamLaTavia/status/1019434303757971457
We wish Michelle the best of luck in her journey to recovery, and are thankful for her efforts to normalise the discussion of mental health.
Words by Liv Dennis
