Sophie Turner made a valid point about mental health ― and its stigmas ― while shutting down Piers Morgan on Twitter.
Morgan caught the “Game of Thrones” actress’ attention Wednesday after he tweeted out comments made by Beverley Callard, an English actress. Callard spoke to Best Magazine about her own battle with depression ― and how celebrities view the stigma of mental health issues.
“Real mental illness is very dark and it takes a great deal of strength to ask for help,” she said. “I think we are now definitely chipping away at the stigma. But we have to be careful mental illness doesn’t become like a Gucci handbag.”
Callard added: “There is a danger it can become ‘fashionable.’”
Morgan tweeted out a link to the article, writing, “She’ll be hammered for saying this, but it’s 100% true.”
Turner called out Morgan on Twitter, writing, “Or maybe they have a platform to speak out about it and help get rid of the stigma of mental illness which affects 1 in 4 people in UK per year.”
She added: “But please go ahead and shun them back into silence. Twat.”
This only made Morgan double down, claiming he knows of celebrities who fabricated illnesses.
“Sadly, I know a lot of well-known people (not The Rock) who’ve jumped on the ‘victimhood’ bandwagon to get positive publicity for themselves. They do those with genuine mental illness a great disservice,” Morgan wrote.
In response, Turner wrote a four-part thread explaining why disparaging mental health concerns can be so damaging.
“If we can just all speak out about our experiences or our loved ones experiences we can help other people who suffer with mental illness not feel so alone,” Turner wrote. “Let’s keep this dialogue going.”
Yes, indeed.
If you or someone you know needs help, call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You can also text HOME to 741-741 for free, 24-hour support from the Crisis Text Line. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention for a database of resources.