Hey guys, I'm a long time lurker who has watched Jade since her school days. I don't like posting but I've had various frustrations watching Jade's more recent videos and really wanted to give my opinion, and I also think it might be helpful to others.
Jade does not seem mentally well at all. I've sensed it since towards the end of her final year of Minerva - her moods have seemed erratic since around that time (I swear she used to like see a sunset and then just start crying? Or at least things similar to that would occur) and they look like they're getting much worse since she graduated. I know other people in the thread have been saying the same thing, that she needs more stability and to see a proper therapist etc, but I wanted to give my take by building on my personal experience.
Like Jade, when I first started getting mood swings I would have periods where I'd want to cry with delight at the universe and how beautiful I found it all... then within a day I'd completely crash and cry tears of misery. She exhibited this exact behaviour a few videos ago in one of her London vlogs. Like Jade, I used to think it was part and parcel of being a woman and having a menstrual cycle - Jade is often talking about what stage of her cycle she is in and how that is affecting her mind and body. I erroneously thought that having severe mood swings was a normal thing to experience as your cycle occurs, and various GPs perpetuated this belief by ignoring my mentions of mood swings and passing them off as a normal PMS symptom.
However, the severity of my mood swings increased to the point where my ability to work and maintain healthy relationships was being affected. I would have very dark thoughts some hours, followed by a period of stability, followed by hours of mania where my ego would balloon (sound familiar?). I thought I was just a very emotional person and by watching influencers INCLUDING JADE, I thought if I just meditated better, or practised more mindfulness, I would be able to get a grip. And so for years I battled with debilitating mental illness, dismissing it as me just being quirky/different and blaming myself for not being able to just "be mentally healthy". It took years of seeing therapists and counsellors until one kind GP (I will always be thankful for him for saving my life) actually stopped me when I told him I was having mood swings and asked me to explain more, and he referred me to a psychiatrist who diagnosed me with a form of bipolar disorder. Since then I have been taking medication that has completely transformed my life and given me so much clarity of thought.
What points am I trying to make here?
1. Of course it is never a good idea to armchair diagnose influencers through what we see on a screen, but the evidence is pointing towards Jade needing a real intervention. I don't like the girl but I wouldn't wish mental illness on her. Jade should see a GP if she is struggling with her mood.
2. Severe mood swings are not normal and I sure as hell hope she doesn't influence people into thinking it's normal. For a suspected mental illness you should see a GP or doctor, NOT just a therapist or counsellor. Therapists cannot prescribe you medication or diagnose you, and sometimes medication is what you need to get your life on track. You cannot casual magic your way through a real mental illness, whether that is bipolar, an eating disorder, anxiety, etc. You cannot always BetterHelp your way to good mental health.
3. Jade NEEDS TO STOP making videos in which she acts like a therapist. I think Jade has crossed too far over the boundary in some of her latest videos. She doesn't explicitly pretend that she is a qualified therapist, but the tone in which she speaks down to her audience, the way she advises about healing your inner child and how to take care of your feelings... she is acting like a therapist. People watching her videos could definitely be fooled into thinking that she is highly knowledgeable about mental health, but she is not. Influencers have a duty to make disclaimers that if people are suffering from real mental illness, they should be seeing a doctor. Far too often I've seen mental illness being mistaken for mental health, and have seen ideas of mindfulness and meditation being promoted without such a disclaimer. It's what caused me to suffer for years longer than I had to.
I hope by writing this post I can undo some of the damage Jade may have done by influencing her followers to "casual magic" their way to good mental health. For some people that is enough, but for many it is incorrect and potentially dangerous.
TLDR Jade should see a doctor if her mood swings are as bad as she portrays. And she and other influencers have a responsibility to tell the public that if they think they are suffering from mental illness they should see a doctor, rather simply pushing meditation, mindfulness and journalling.
