HELEN Flanagan has opened up about her terrifying battle with psychosis.
The former Coronation Street actress, 33, began struggling with her mental health after splitting from her partner of 13 years, Scott Sinclair.
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The former couple got together when she was 18 and had three children – Matilda, nine, Delilah, six, and Charlie, three.
Then in June 2022 after 13 years together, the soap star revealed they had split.
Helen previously shared with fans that she had been struggling with her mental health since before Christmas.
Earlier this year, she experienced a severe reaction to ADHD medication that sent her into psychosis.
Read more about Helen Flanagan
Looking back on the last few months, Helen told the Daily Mail: ‘I wasn’t really doing very well.
“Basically I was struggling with my mental health around December and January, so I took my medication to try and make myself feel better, and unfortunately it just made it worse.”
She admitted that even before the psychotic episode, she had struggled with her mental health after the breakup.
Helen had turned off her emotions and gone into ‘survival mode’ but hit rock bottom when she spent Christmas Day without her children, who were with Scott.
In an attempt to regain control of her emotions, the actress started medication for ADHD, but ended up having terrible reactions.
Helen said she was “seeing things, I felt like I was in danger all the time”.
It took her two weeks to recover, during which time she had to cancel a Cluedo tour.
“I was frustrated because I really wanted to do it, but I just wasn’t in the right place… I couldn’t actually work for two and a half months,” she said.
“I was so angry about it, devastated, but I had to prioritize feeling better, for me and for the children.
This whole period in her life is a reminder that many emotions from the breakup are still very close to the surface.
Helen explained: “Sometimes I’ll be great for ages, like I’ve been doing pretty well for the past few months, and then I’ll struggle, like a week ago.
“It’s up and down. I think I have everything under the sun – OCD, ADHD – but I think it’s important to talk about it and if it makes people feel less bad about themselves then great.
“I get people coming up to me and saying thank you and that makes it worth it.”
Last month, The Sun revealed that Helen was almost kicked off Celebs Go Dating after breaking a major rule.
Dating agent Anna Williamson told us: “Helen, I just love her.
“What I will say about her though – and I don’t want to spoil anything – but Helen has the biggest cliffhanger plot twist we’ve ever had in the history of Celebs Go Dating.
“Helen was almost thrown out of the organization two weeks ago. She did something big that goes against all the rules of the organization.”
You are not alone
Every 90 minutes in the UK, a life is lost by suicide.
It does not discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It is the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, deadlier than cancer and car accidents.
And men are three times more likely to commit suicide than women.
Yet it’s rarely talked about, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice now.
That’s why The Sun launched the You’re Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our part to save lives.
Let’s all pledge to ask for help when we need it and to listen to others… You are not alone.
If you, or someone you know, needs help dealing with mental health issues, the following organizations offer support:
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