Three years after a highly publicized suicide attempt at the age of 15, Paris Jackson has opened up about the mental health issues that led to her trying to take her own life.
During a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the 18-year-old daughter of Michael Jackson revealed that the public incident was just one of “multiple” attempts that were brought on by depression, anxiety and drug abuse. “It was just self-hatred, low self-esteem, thinking that I couldn’t do anything right, not thinking I was worthy of living anymore,” she said. “I was crazy. I was actually crazy. I was going through a lot of, like, teen angst. And I was also dealing with my depression and my anxiety without any help.”
She added that her father also struggled with depression, and she was prescribed the same antidepressants he once took, but she’s no longer on any medication for mental health issues.
Jackson also spoke about how her modeling career has helped her overcome her struggles. “I’ve had self-esteem issues for a really, really long time,” she said. “Plenty of people think I’m ugly, and plenty of people don’t. But there’s a moment when I’m modeling where I forget about my self-esteem issues and focus on what the photographer’s telling me – and I feel pretty. And in that sense, it’s selfish.”
Read more at RollingStone.com.
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Write to Megan McCluskey at megan.mccluskey@time.com