LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Maurice Benard, who plays Sonny Corinthos on ABC’s 'General Hospital,' has opened up about mental health and suicide prevention after the death of his former co-star Billy Miller.
Miller, who portrayed Jason Morgan and Drew Cain on the same show, died at the age of 43 on September 15, in Austin, Texas.
His mother confirmed that he had suffered from bipolar depression for years and “surrendered his life” to the disease, reports New York Post.
Maurice Benard opens up about darkness, chaos and pain following co-star Billy Miller's death
Benard, who has been vocal about his own struggles with bipolar disorder, which he was diagnosed with at the age of 21, shared a heartfelt message on Instagram on Tuesday.
In the message, he urged his followers to reach out to anyone who is going through “any kind of darkness, chaos, pain”.
“Since the pandemic, I have been speaking out on suicide quite a lot,” Benard, 60, wrote, adding “In the beginning, I was hesitant."
He continued, "I didn’t know how people would handle it. But it’s been very encouraging so I have not stopped talking about it!
"It’s really hard to understand mental illness unless you have experienced the depths of pain that comes with it," he added.
Maurice Benard gives advice about helping people going through mental health crisis
He added, “If you know anyone who is going through any kind of darkness, chaos, pain … Just know, all you can do is give them love, patience, understanding, and hopefully professional help if they agree.
He continued, "And unfortunately, if someone doesn’t want to be on this earth anymore, there’s only so much we can do just remember, it’s not your fault never blame yourself.”
"Not only am I bipolar, but now I have to play someone who is bipolar...it's not great for my mental health," Maurice said once in an interview with ABC 11.
"It's an honor; it's been my life," he said in 2022.
Benard also posted a video from his YouTube series 'State Of Mind with Maurice Benard' where he talked about mental health.
He captioned the video, “If you’re feeling in any kind of way, like life is not worth living for don’t think twice to talk to someone take it from the most fragile person in the world you can get through it."
He concluded the post, by writing, “And life has a way of rewarding you.”
