Konrad Bien-Stephen has revealed that he had a close friend who took his own life last year and has personally survived a suicide attempt. The reality star told his fans that he is doing Movember this month to help remove the stigma that’s associated with mental health.
Content warning: This article discusses depression and suicide. If you or someone you know are affected by the following story, you are not alone. If you or somebody you care for needs help or information about depression, suicide, anxiety, or mental health issues, contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Konrad took to his Instagram stories to share his personal experience with suicide in an emotional video.
“Hey guys, I’m going to start my Movember challenge tonight, so I’m going to challenge myself to run 300ks for the month. I know I’m a couple of days late,” he began.
“My purpose for raising money for Movember is mental health. Something I haven’t really ever spoken about publicly is my challenges with mental health. A lot of my friends don’t even know that I’m actually a suicide survivor. And, you know, I haven’t really ever spoken about it because of you know, I guess the stigma it has.”
He added, “I never really told too many people, because you know you’re worried that people are going to think you’re crazy. You’re not going to get a job, or whatever reason.
“But for me, it’s an important topic to talk about because people need to know it’s ok that you go through hard times. I lost a really close friend last year.
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Konrad broke down in tears while describing his late friend who took his own life.
“He had the most beautiful smile and the world needs to hold onto those smiles. I was at rock bottom, i have been a couple of times in my life and it does get better. I’ve just been lucky to have the support network and great friends that have got me through it. I’ve been comfortable to talk about it to an extent. So that’s why I’m doing it, i’m doing it for my friend and for everyone else that’s been in those low points.
The 32-year-old shed some more light on his own mental health battle, telling his followers in a text post that he survived a suicide attempt when he was younger.
“I attempted to take my own life in my 20s,” he wrote. “I’m ok and have been for some time now. Of course, I still experience hard times but I’ve learned to be open about it. Hopefully one day I can share more of my story with you. If you are not feeling ok please talk to someone, Things get better.”
You can donate to Konrad’s November fund here.
If you or somebody you care for needs help or information about depression, suicide, anxiety, or mental health issues, contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or Lifeline on 13 11 1.
For more on this topic, follow the Health and Wellness Observer.
