Sarah Ferguson opens up about ‘painful' mental health challenges still at play

Sarah Ferguson recently penned a piece for The Telegraph that includes some painful takes on mental health struggles and the growing crisis it poses.

She started by saying, “I’ve always known there were issues I needed to address, stemming from my childhood and my time in the public eye. Then I was diagnosed with cancer, twice in the same year, something that would be challenging for anyone in terms of mental as well as physical health.”

And during those fights behind-the-scenes she admitted, “I’ve always worked hard on my emotional wellbeing, so as well as exploring these issues, I was keen to understand how I could better use whatever platform I might have to advocate for more open discussion about mental health challenges and better policies in this area.”

Her piece did not end there though and touched in depth upon her biggest fear regarding this.

According to the Duchess herself, “I am particularly concerned about the crisis in mental health we are seeing in our young people.” Because “there are escalating rates of anxiety, depression and other wellbeing issues in the next generation.”

In her eyes, “this crisis is driven by a combination of social, economic, and digital factors, compounded by the many challenges people face in accessing timely and effective support.”

And in her effort to better her advocacy efforts the former wife of Prince Andrew also turned towards Dr Thilo Beck, the clinic’s lead psychiatrist, and Jan Gerber the chief executive and founder of Paracelsus Recovery in Zurich.

For those unversed, the clinic offers cutting-edge treatment options for people that are struggling with addiction struggles, or their private mental health woes while navigating public-facing roles in their career’s and personal life.

And after having lengthy conversations with the team, Ms Ferguson only doubled down on the need for better measures and treatments and turned to her readers with partings words that read, “if you or someone you know is struggling, I encourage you to seek help. You are not alone, and there is no shame in taking the steps towards healing.”