In a new episode of The Me You Can’t See, Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey continued their conversation on mental health. The docuseries premiered on Apple TV+ last week.
On Friday, a companion episode called The Me You Can’t See: A Path Forward premiered. In this town hall format discussion, Prince Harry, 36, and Oprah, 67, got together again with advisors and participants from the docuseries for discussing mental health and where to go from here.
Guests, including Ambar Martinez, Glenn Close, and Zak Williams offer insight into their stories, and experts will share guidance for making sure the global conversation on the subject continues.
Harry discussed the importance of reminding people who are suffering from suicidal thoughts that they are not alone. “So many people are afraid of being on the receiving end of that conversation because they don’t feel like they have the right tools to give the right advice,” the Duke of Sussex said.
“But what you [want] to say is you’re there. Listen, because listening and being part of that conversation is without doubt the best first step that you can take.”
Earlier in the series, he revealed that his and Meghan’s requests to get her help when she was feeling suicidal were met with “total neglect.”
“I thought my family would help, but every single ask, request, warning, whatever, it is just got met with total silence, total neglect,” he said.
“We spent four years trying to make it work. We did everything that we possibly could to stay there and carry on doing the role and doing the job. But Meghan was struggling.”
“One of the biggest lessons I’ve ever learned in life is you’ve sometimes got to go back and to deal with really uncomfortable situations and to be able to process it in order to be able to heal,” Harry previously said in the series. “For me, therapy has equipped me to be able to take on anything.”
“That’s why I’m here now,” he continued. “That’s why my wife is here now. That feeling of being trapped within the family is … There was no option to leave. Eventually, when I made that decision for my family, I was still told you can’t do this.”
Prince Harry shared his own experience with Glenn Close about families when it comes to dealing with mental health problems and “covering it up.”
“As parents, as siblings, certainly from what I’ve learned — there’s an element of shame we feel, because we’re like, ‘How could we not have seen it? How did we not know? How did you not feel comfortable enough to come to me and share that with me?’
But we all know when people are suffering and people are struggling, that we’re all incredibly good at covering it up for those that know that we’re covering it up,” Harry said.
He told Robin William’s son Zak that they had “a lot of shared experience” when it came to grieving the loss of a parent with the public watching.
“I had trouble differentiating that grieving process at first and it was really challenging for me,” Williams said. “I found myself extremely emotionally deregulated and feeling vulnerable and exposed when I wasn’t ready to be vulnerable.”
Harry replied, “When you see so many people around the world grieving for someone they feel as though they knew them better than you did because you’re unable to grieve yourself.”
In The Me You Can’t See, Harry revealed that he experienced panic attacks. He also spoke about starting therapy and processing his mother Princess Diana death during honest conversations with Oprah.
Following its May 21 debut, the docuseries became the No. 1 watched program worldwide on Apple TV+. It also features equally inspiring stories from Lady Gaga, Close, Williams, and Oprah herself.
Harry and Oprah teamed up to create the series in a bid to “lift the veil” on mental health and wellbeing. The co-creators of the docuseries recently said “Now more than ever, there is an immediate need to replace the shame surrounding mental health with wisdom, compassion, and honesty. Our series aims to spark that global conversation,” Oprah added.
If you or someone you know is seeking mental health help, simply text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
The Me You Can’t See, is now available to stream on Apple TV+. The Me You Can’t See: A Path Forward is slated to premiere Friday, free on the streaming service.
