The ChallengecompetitorTori Dealhas never shied away from sharing every aspect of her life on TV and social media.
But this time, things were different.
Jessi Gold(who helped write MTV’sMental Health Media Guide).
‘The Challenge’ star Tori Deal opens up about how antidepressants saved her from ‘rock bottom’.MTV
It’s been very powerful and freeing."
I didn’t want to leave my room.
I just wasn’t me.
It’s something that lived underneath my life for a while and I never really talked about it.
I’m so happy now, I’ve never felt this good in my life.
I never got it and now I get it and it’s just so freeing.
I hope everybody who has been through something similar that I have can find this peace as well.
If this helps anyone else get the help they need, then it’s worth it.
How did you two meet and start working together?
They were like, ‘Wow, it’s not really something that’s talked about too much."
No offense, I was one of them!
I’ve gotten a lot of support, and it’s been incredible.
A lot of what we talked about is that it’s still your story, however you tell it.
She wanted to share, “This helped me, I got meds, I feel better.
Tori, how has being on reality TV impacted your mental health as you’ve navigated finding that balance?
DEAL:It’s been a battle of a lifetime, for sure.
I am truly thankful for my life now.
They don’t drown me and I am just living happily.
I’m noticing that the most in the small moments.
GOLD:More people are talking about it now, for sure.
It didn’t even really feel like you were sharing a mental health problem.
It felt like you were sharing a day-to-day activity.
That became pretty common for people and then those conversations about mental health became a bit easier for people.
What do you share and how do you shape that in a way that feels comfortable to you?
And are you curating that so it’s not really you vs. if you’re making it more realistic?
That part of social media can be more detrimental to your mental health.
This one is important for the entire story arc of who I am as a human.
What do you hope people learn from watching you share your own experiences?
DEAL:[Pauses] This is going to make me cry.
[Starts crying] If anybody really does feel that sad, you deserve to feel better.
Sara Bareilles helped me!
If I can help someone like she helped me … Hopefully this little moment will have an impact on somebody’s too.
They can wake up happy too.
That’s my entire patient population.
The Challenge: Ride or DiesairsWednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on MTV.
