In the most recent instalment of her Archetypes podcast, Meghan Markle addresses some challenging but crucial subjects.
In her most recent episode, "The Decoding of Crazy," The Duchess of Sussex welcomed actress Constance Wu, comedian and author Jenny Slate, and campaigner and Bollywood star Deepika Padukone.
When Meghan was at her "lowest point," Prince Harry got her a referral to a mental health specialist, according to Meghan during her conversation with Deepika.
"At my lowest, I suppose, I was finally put in touch with a person that my husband had located a referral for me to call. I also called this lady, "said Meghan. "She was unaware that I had ever called her. And she was doing the grocery store checkout. I said, "Hello," and introduced myself as I could practically be heard saying, "Wait, sorry," as I heard the tiny beep, beep. I'm only. This is who. stating I need assistance, um. She also heard how miserable I was feeling."
But I believe it's for all of us to be very honest about what you need and to not be afraid to accept it, to ask for it, Meghan continued.
In the opening of the show, Meghan said, "The way the word "crazy" is used so casually and the harm it has caused to society and women worldwide, including the damaged marriages, families, reputations, and jobs, make me feel fairly strongly about it. Because of the stigma attached to the term, women who are actually struggling with mental health concerns tend to become fearful, keep silent, internalise their problems, and repress them for an excessive amount of time."
Deepika discussed her issues with mental health, which started "out of the blue" in 2014.
"When I awoke one morning, everything was going smoothly. My movies were well-received. Beautiful relationships and a loving family, personally. It seemed to appear out of nowhere. I woke up and tripped. My blood pressure decreased, you know. I then realise something else. My life simply seemed pointless, "said Deepika. "You know, I simply didn't want to live anymore. I was reluctant to leave my bed. And for many, many months, I grappled with this. I would simply collapse at the first provocation. remain absent. I would be conversing with someone, attending an event, or interacting with someone, but my thoughts would be elsewhere. And I had never had that feeling before. Everything felt just so strange and off-balance. And when my folks came to see me, I was sitting and watching them pack when I once again started crying. My mother asked, "What's wrong? Is it your connection? Have you heard anything recently? I said, "I'm not sure. I've had this feeling for a very long time. I can't help but cry. I'm not sure why. There is a sense of helplessness. You simply feel helpless. You have the impression that life is meaningless."
After appearing live on Indian television to share her tale with the world, Deepika received acclaim for her candour and bravery.
There are actually two parts to this, she continued. "One is: I believe that this is the area where most individuals suffer, particularly in India where mental illness is so stigmatised. The first is raising awareness. The vast majority of us aren't even aware that we are dealing with mental illness. Second, if we want to destigmatize it, we must convey to people that seeking treatment is acceptable as well as to caregivers that it is acceptable for someone to experience this. We also experience physical problems in the same way. Our body and mind are intertwined in many ways. However, when it comes to mental disease, we begin to treat our minds as if they were separate from our bodies."
Meghan answered, "You are correct. As a veteran, my husband works frequently with the military community, and they frequently refer to invisible injuries as such. Right. Post-traumatic stress disorder is the thing you can't see if you have it. And if you can't see it, it's just disregarded or swept under the rug."
Constance spoke with Meghan about the incident and said she thought she came across as "really ungrateful, petty, and bratty" for not being happy about the show's renewal. Constance previously talked about her attempt at suicide in 2019 after tweeting negatively about the renewal of her sitcom Fresh Off The Boat. (Behind the scenes, she claims a producer harassed her in a sexual manner.)
"It took a Direct Message from one of my Asian acting colleagues, who basically declared that I was better off dead because I had become a disgrace to my race. I began to feel as though I no longer deserved to be alive "explained the actress.
Constance, a mother of a 2-year-old daughter, sobbed as they talked about the subject.
The Duchess of Sussex said, "I'd be worried if you weren't sobbing." "Right? Because so much of it is, particularly in light of what you're discussing, which is the period during which all internalised emotions, including happiness and grief, are accumulating. When you watch our children, the most beautiful thing in the world—exactly like you mentioned with your daughter, even though it may not seem that way at the time—is when they have a breakdown and just scream and let it all out. What happens once they let everything out?"
Then, a brief moment later, they're like. Constance answered.
They're okay, Meghan assured. Since they let it to escape.
Following the passing of Queen Elizabeth on September 8, Spotify stopped releasing new episodes of Archetypes. The podcast was restarted last week when Margaret Cho and Lisa Ling joined Meghan to analyse the "Dragon Lady" myth.
Before the monarch passed away, three episodes of Archetypes were made available. In these episodes, Meghan welcomed guests Serena Williams, Mariah Carey, and Mindy Kaling to dispel prejudices about women.
