Leah Charles-King, a presenter on A Place in the Sun and former '90s girl group Kleshay singer, previously opened up about her years-long struggle with mental health.
She experienced a series of distressing symptoms that led her to a point of despair, feeling suicidal and depressed. Despite being prescribed antidepressants by her GP, Leah found no relief. In a desperate moment, she contemplated ending her life from an eighth-floor window, but was thankfully talked down by a friend.
Two days later, she penned a desperate plea for help to her GP. Speaking to the Express, she recalled: "If I didn't get help today, I knew what I was going to do and so I wrote this note and I plucked up the last bit of strength that I had to go into what I believed was my final battle.
Leah has bipolar disorder, a mental health condition characterised by extreme mood swings (Getty Images)
Despite being prescribed antidepressants by her GP, Leah found no relief (Channel Four Television Corporation)"I remember standing in this queue in tears - silent tears - and when I got to the front of the queue to reception, I just passed this note across the desk [saying] 'I'm suicidal and I need help now. If you send me home, I'm going to kill myself'. It was that blunt and obviously, it was all panic stations."
The singer-turned-property-guru was rushed to hospital by ambulance, only to discover that her struggles weren't due to depression but were symptoms of bipolar disorder a condition marked by severe mood swings. Unlike depression's overwhelming sadness, bipolar disorder can cause a person to oscillate between intense highs and devastating lows, with antidepressants potentially exacerbating the issue.
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A 2022 Bipolar UK study revealed that out of 2,458 individuals with bipolar disorder, a staggering 55 percent had been prescribed antidepressants. The organisation is now pushing for GPs to consider the possibility of bipolar before prescribing antidepressants for the first time, reports the Mirror.
"It's overlooked so much by GPs who just assume that it's depression," Leah expressed. Now an ambassador for Bipolar UK, she's dedicated to sparking open conversations about mental health to dismantle the stigma attached to it.
Leah also credits her role on A Place in the Sun as a significant factor in her journey to wellness. "The show's been completely life-changing for me. For somebody who's been in TV for a long time and felt I was very overlooked for many years, I'd just been waiting for that break," she shared.
Leah has been a valuable member of the Channel 4 team since November 2021, assisting eager buyers in locating their ideal homes worldwide. Excited about her involvement with the programme, she raved: "I've been watching the show since it began and I feel especially privileged to be working on such an iconic programme."
- If you're finding things hard and need someone to talk to, there are always volunteers available at the Samaritans. You can contact them anytime on their free 24/7 helpline at 116 123. Alternatively, you could send an email to jo@samaritans.org or look for your local branch on their website.
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