Already have an account?
Get back to the
ABC

James Patrick Stuart Confesses His Own Struggles With Mental Health to Help End the Stigma

Tags:

As part of the 320 Changes Direction initiative, GENERAL HOSPITAL star James Patrick Stuart (Valentin) taped a short Instagram video to help end the stigma surrounding mental health by opening up about his own struggles. “I’m not an expert on mental health,” he admitted, “but I’m also not a stranger to sadness and isolation and… bouts of depression. I’m willing to confess to you that we are more willing to talk about physical fitness than we are our mental fitness.

“And when I get into that place, I check in with myself,” the actor continued. “Have I been eating poorly? Am I not sleeping at all? Have I had too much screen time? And you know, I’ll check in with a friend. And if I have to, I’ll go talk to somebody. Those are the things that I’ll do. And I also remember more than anything that feelings are not facts and they tend to change. 

The idea for 320 came from Talinda Bennington, who had lost her husband, Linkin Park and Stone Temple Pilots lead singer, Chester Bennington, to depression and substance abuse. She wanted to help change the culture of mental health so people are no longer afraid to talk about their issues and seek help.

Stuart began his video by mentioned that his wife, Jocelyn, had challenged him to join the movement, and he ended by declaring that he’d love to hear what GH co-star Maurice Benard (Sonny) has to say on the subject. As someone who has been very public about his own personal struggles with bipolar disorder, Benard knows this subject very well.

If you are concerned about yourself or someone you love, text the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or call the suicide prevention line at 1-800-273-8255.

For more on your favorite GH stars, keep reading the ABC edition of Soaps In Depth magazine.

Love GH? Be sure to join our We Love General Hospital Facebook group to chat about all the latest storylines and juicy gossip! 

More from ABC Soaps In Depth

Maurice Benard Takes a Pie in the Face to Raise Awareness for ALS

Everything You Need to Know About Kristina’s Husband, Trey, on GH

Tamara Braun Responds to Online Haters

Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menu items. Use right arrow key to move into submenus. Use escape to exit the menu. Use up and down arrow keys to explore. Use left arrow key to move back to the parent list.