Jared Padalecki says he sought treatment after experiencing suicidal ideation in 2015, amid the success of “Supernatural.”
In a recent appearance on Tommy DiDario's podcast “I Never Said This Before,” released Tuesday, Padalecki recalled how dark thoughts led him to a “really low moment.” He said he confided in his wife, Genevieve, who advised him to “come home.”
“So I came home, went to a clinic for a couple of weeks and looked into it,” Padalecki said. “And I haven't been suicidal since. Not for a moment.”
Padalecki said on DiDario's podcast that he is still dealing with “ups and downs” but has the support of his family and friends. He urged fans to “be open, share, find someone, whether it's a friend or a professional, and speak your truth.”
Padalecki previously detailed his mental health struggles in a March 2015 interview with Variety. At the time, she was launching a T-shirt campaign to benefit To Write Love on Her Arms, a nonprofit organization that supports people struggling with depression, addiction, self-harm, and suicide.
He told Variety that a doctor first informed him that he might have clinical depression after suffering a nervous breakdown while filming season 3 of “Supernatural.” He said he had a hard time understanding how that could happen.
“I had dogs I loved and tons of friends, fans adored me and I was happy with my job, but I couldn't understand what it was; It doesn’t always make sense, that’s my point,” she told the exchange. “It's not just people who can't find a job or can't fit into society who sometimes struggle with depression.”
In May 2015, two months after that article was published, Padalecki canceled appearances at fan conferences and wrote on what was then Twitter that he “desperately and urgently needed my family” and needed to return home.
His manager explained in a statement at the time that Padalecki had “pushed himself to the limit” and “suffered from exhaustion.”
Two months later, a renewed Padalecki appeared at San Diego Comic-Con, where more than 6,000 fans raised electric candles in his honor, a gesture that moved him to tears. The clip is worth watching.
