Ben Fogle has candidly shared he battled ‘crippling paranoia and anxiety,’ during his ‘mental health breakdown’, as he offered insight into the various methods he used to aid in his recovery.
The Castaway star, 50, who previously shared he was diagnosed with ADHD in the wake of the crisis, said that he used cognitive behavioural therapy and medicine’ to help him heal from the ‘storm,’ as well as ‘doing less and simplifying his life.’
In a lengthy Instagram post, the travel presenter said that he decided to share his struggles as it felt it was vital to be as open about his mental health woes as he has been about physical ones.
Ben wrote: ‘A year ago I suffered a mental health wobble. An episode. A storm. A blip
‘I don’t know if there is a specific term for it but it was basically a burnt out, break down. I’ve been on quite a journey since. I’ve learnt a lot about my neurological uniquenesses.
Ben Fogle has candidly shared he battled ‘crippling paranoia and anxiety,’ during his ‘mental health breakdown’, as he offered insight into the methods he used to aid in his recovery
‘And I’ve navigated the storm. Through a mix of CBT, medicine, and now some alternative therapies I feel like my old self.
‘Gone is the crippling paranoia and anxiety, replaced by my calm old self.
‘I’m telling you this firstly because I believe as someone who shares my successes it’s important to also share our vulnerabilities.
‘It is not to jump on some trend or for sympathy. It’s because if it happened to me, I can happen to you.
‘But just like a broken bone or a pneumonia ravaged lung or even a flesh eating bug (all of which I have had)
‘We can heal. They don’t define us or make us weak. They prove that we are human. Vulnerable to the pressures of modern life.
‘A mental health trauma should not be a stigma but a reality check for the increasingly complicated world in which we live.
‘What’s helped me is doing less and simplifying my life. Less social media. Less work Less pressure to be perfect The results are that I worry less. Stress less. Anger less Fixate less.
In a lengthy Instagram post, the presenter said that he decided to share his struggles as it felt it was vital to be as open about his mental health woes as he has been about physical ones
In February, Ben revealed that he’d been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) after suffering a ‘mental health storm’
‘Giving me more time has helped me back to reality. To being me. Exactly the same person I have always been. Simple. Love, peace and simplicity.’
In February, Ben revealed that he’d been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) after suffering a ‘mental health storm.’
Ben, who has previously spoken about being dyslexic, said that he had ‘changed neurologically’ after struggling with his mental health.
The Countryfile star insisted the condition ‘does not make me fragile, just vulnerable’, as he discussed his adjustment since the diagnosis.
Ben said: ‘I hate labels. I always have. The idea that a single word defines us is too binary and lacks the nuances that distinguish us.
‘We are more than a sweeping binary word. I am privileged but I am also compassionate. I am a public figure but I am also quite shy.
‘I am dyslexic and an award winning writer. You get the message. The same can be said of our unique neurological differences.’
Ben, who has been married to his wife Marina since 2006, continued: ‘I have recently been diagnosed with ADHD *cue eye rolling*. I admit to my own cynicism but the reality is that I have changed neurologically.
‘A recent mental health storm was the catalyst for my diagnosis. I feel different and have done for some time.
‘Some aspects of life had become more of a struggle, but with a diagnosis comes understanding and reason.
Ben, who has previously spoken about being dyslexic, said that he had ‘changed neurologically’ after struggling with his mental health
‘Maybe it is my age or perhaps a symptom of something more complex in wider society. I have ADHD but I am still me.
‘It is not an excuse for me nor a reason to be cautious around me for others. It does not make me fragile, just vulnerable.
‘Like all of us. I might be slightly neurotically different but that is also what makes us unique. It enhances my creativity and empathy.
‘Neurological individuality makes me who I am and I am proud of that. To have a clinical diagnosis helps me understand who I am. It explains my weaknesses as well as my strengths. Love, peace and individuality.’
Ben has previously been open about his health and detailed the ‘psychotic episode’ he suffered in 2013 after his drink was spiked.
Talking in 2020, he revealed he attempted to kill himself during a night out in ‘a rural pub in the Cotswolds’.
He took to Instagram on Friday to detail the harrowing ordeal with his fans, and called it ‘one of the scariest experiences of [his] life.’
On Wednesday, Ben’s wife Marina revealed her and her husband were once wrongly reported to social services for ‘shouting at their children‘.
Revealing the news amid the row over Kirstie Allsopp and her son’s interrailing trip, the Countryfile presenter’s wife said she understands what Ms Allsopp will have experienced as she and her family went through a similarly traumatising ordeal when raising their children.
Location, Location, Location presenter Ms Allsopp last week became embroiled in a row over allowing her 15-year-old son to go travelling across Europe, with social services now probing the incident.
On Wednesday, Ben’s wife Marina revealed her and her husband were once wrongly reported to social services for ‘shouting at their children’
Writing for The Times, Mrs Fogle said she could relate to ‘feeling of nausea’ Ms Allsopp likely felt when social services contacted her.
She said: ‘I know the feeling of nausea that would have welled in her stomach and the fury of being accused of failing your children because the same thing happened to me.’
She told of her own shock to return home from a family holiday in the summer of 2013 to find a letter from social services. Marina was convinced this was delivered in error, but was left trembling when social services turned up at her door that same morning.
It turned out, a neighbour had reported her and her husband for supposedly ‘shouting’ at their children – ‘the kind of sustained verbal abuse that was simply unacceptable.’
Upon providing proof that the family were away on holiday on the date of the supposed incident, and following further questioning, social services agreed that there was no issue.
While acknowledging many tip-offs are real and necessary in safeguarding children who are at harm, Marina says she felt ‘tarnished’ by the experience.
She said: ‘Even though I was completely innocent, my interaction with social services rocked me.
‘My husband, Ben, was so shocked that anyone even knew this was possible, combined with the fact that we are very much not a shouty household, that he suspected it might have been someone wanting to cause trouble.’
Marina said that her children grew up in a household where risk was ’embraced’, with a father who climbed Everest and completed the world’s toughest row, and so is ‘grateful’ they still have a healthy attitude to risk that hasn’t been diminished by the incident with social services.
