Wentworth Miller Destroys Body Shamers

“First and foremost, I was suicidal. This is a subject I’ve since written about, spoken about, shared about. But at the time I suffered in silence. As so many do.” – Wentworth Miller

For those that have seen, or heard about. the vicious meme depicting a healthy, fit ‘Prison Break’ actor Wentworth Miller cropped alongside a photo of him from unhealthier times in 2010 it’s easy to imagine the kind of associated negative thinking that goes with that type of public body shaming and judgement. Miller, who gained a significant amount of weight during a self-imposed semi-retirement from the screen, was increasingly despondent and suicidal. The meme, he said on a public Facebook post in 2011 was the low point in a series of depression-induced struggles which he also said he’s endured for most of of his life.

“I stopped for a moment to think about the issue of image and body shaming in our society and how that ties into mental health alongside equally-important and probably more quickly recognized issues (like my own severe Bipolar Disorder) or my own past issues with nearing diabetes, being overweight, an struggling in some ways like Mr. Miller. For a moment it was surreal to see the similarities in his struggle align with those of my own. If you’re not familiar with my story it’s important to know that the voices in my head have always been something that I’ve struggled with. The commands at one point reaching a fever pitch which ultimately drove me to jump over the rail at the Golden Gate Bridge in 2000. Luckily, I survived.”

And Miller, by vocalizing his fears and taking his own defense of his mental health public while asking for help when he needed it most. He did the thing that probably saved his life: He talked about it. His stance on depression and his candor about the experience and also his life today in recovery are instrumental for the issues of suicide prevention and mental health awareness. As I’ve said for quite some time talking about the things we struggle with is the hardest thing to do but it’s also the best thing. Miller went on to detail how his depression grew during the public whiplashing over his body image and how those two elements kept him living in silence. He felt alone. Miller has also said how depression and his silent battle has “cost him time, opportunities, relationships and a thousand sleepless nights.”