James Middleton, the younger brother of Kate Middleton, is talking about his own mental health crisis and the “crippling depression” that he has finally overcome.
The Daily Mail says that Middleton has finally spoken out about his own struggles, saying that he is willing to talk about himself as long as it’s not a way to get to his other family members, saying that his daily life is separate.
“I lead a separate life to them. If there’s interest in me, great. If there’s interest in me because of them, that’s different,” Middleton said.
Middleton says that being judged on his business struggles has put pressure on him, as he is trying to succeed on his own instead of relying on his family. The youngest Middleton says he is judged more harshly because of his connection to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
“Suddenly, and very publicly, I was being judged about whether I was a success or a failure. That does put pressure on you,” he said.
He says he will continue to have business ideas, and some will be successes and some will be failures, but he can’t let who he is related to prevent him from trying new things. He says understanding himself has helped him cope, and when a doctor gave him a book about attention deficit disorder, things started to click.
James Middleton Says His Dogs Are ‘Devastated’ After His Special Pet-Friendly Bike Was Stolen https://t.co/jsUd0SCPUW
— People (@people) June 20, 2019
Middleton says it’s the first book he read cover-to-cover, saying that it was like reading the story of his life. But more than ADD, it was depression and anxiety that was truly crippling.
“[The depression was] crippling. It’s what keeps you in bed, while anxiety makes you feel guilty for being there,” he admitted.
He says what made it worse was that he knows he has had a great upbringing and that he’s lucky, so he asked himself what he had to be depressed about. He said the depression made him feel like all of the color was drained out of his life, as if everything was gray and monotone.
“I know I’m richly blessed and live a privileged life. But it did not make me immune to depression,” he explained.
But he says that for the first time in years, he feels like himself, like James Middleton again, and he is excited about life. He says he’s getting pleasure doing the things that he loves, and enjoying time outdoors and with his dogs, who are a large part of his social media accounts, especially his Instagram.