Jada Pinkett Smith Talks Suicidal Thoughts & Her 'Emotional Collapse'

Jada Pinkett Smith opened up about her mental health struggles on the latest episode of her Facebook Watch series, Red Table Talk

The 47-year-old actress turned talk show host got real about mental health while talking about the subject alongside her mother Adrienne Banfield-Jones, her daughter Willow Smith, and guest Kid Cudi. "I had an emotional breakdown that definitely I feel like affected my mental stability," she shared, referencing the nervous breakdown she had when she was 20-years-old. "I became extremely suicidal. I had a complete emotional collapse. When you just don't have control over your emotions, your thoughts, you feel completely and utterly out of control."

Jada went on to explain that her career success only worsened her depression, causing her to seek help from a doctor. However, she said she learned very quickly that the medication she was prescribed was not for her. "They put me on Prozac, it was, like, five milligrams, but once it disrupted my sex drive I said, 'Look, that's the one thing I have in my life ...'" she joked. "That was the thing that got me off of Prozac. They put me on it just so I could get to a place where I could talk about what was happening, where I could function."

"I was severely depressed and that was something I battled for years," she continued. "Waking up in the morning was the worst part of the day." While Jada said she began seeing a therapist, she credits her ability to deal with her depression to learning to "let go."  

"I was still holding on to the idea of deprivation and loss and having a lot of guilt and shame that came with my success," she admitted. "Once I got off the Prozac, I went on a long, long journey. I learned how to manage it to a certain degree but it was a struggle." 

Suicide Lifeline: If you or someone you know may be struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) any time of day or night or chat online.

Photo: Getty Images


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