Destiny’s Child Michelle Williams Reveals She Recently 'Sought Help' for Mental Health Issues
Destiny’s Child singer Michelle Williams recently underwent treatment for mental health issues.
In an Instagram post, the 37-year-old singer and mental health advocate told her fans on Tuesday that she followed her own advice and turned to a team of healthcare professionals.
“For years I have dedicated myself to increasing awareness of mental health and empowering people to recognize when it’s time to seek help, support and guidance from those that love and care for your wellbeing,” she wrote in the caption.
“I recently listened to the same advice I have given to thousands around the world and sought help from a great team of healthcare professionals,” Williams continued.
“Today I proudly, happily and healthily stand here as someone who will continue to always lead by example as I tirelessly advocate for the betterment of those in need,” she added. “If you change your mind, you can change your life.”
The singer received support and encouragement from those closest to her, including Beyoncé’s mother Tina Knowles Lawson who commented on her post.
“Michelle My Bell, I’m soo proud of you! You have given unselfishly of your time and support to so many and I know that you will be the best example of self care which we all need,” Knowles Lawson wrote.
A post shared by Michelle Williams (@michellewilliams) on Jul 17, 2018 at 12:01pm PDT
“Keep being a warrior and an advocate for you. I love and support you with all my being,” she added. “I so love and admire you amazing courage.”
Williams’ fiancé, pastor Chad Johnson, also left a heartwarming message in the comments.
“I’m so proud of your courage and commitment to this!!” He wrote. “WE are in it together and on an AMAZING journey of watching THE master artist paint a priceless work of art!”
The couple has been engaged since March this year.
In October, Williams opened up about suffering from suicidal thoughts while in Destiny’s Child.
“I’m in one of the top-selling female groups of all time, suffering with depression,” she said on The Talk. “When I disclosed it to our manager [Mathew Knowles] at the time, bless his heart, he was like, ‘You all just signed a multi-million dollar deal. You’re about to go on tour. What do you have to be depressed about?’” she recalled Beyoncé’s dad telling her at the time.
“So I was like, ‘Oh, maybe I’m just tired,’” she continued. However, Williams’ depression only continued to get worse “to the point where I was suicidal … and wanted out” from the group.
The star says she has struggled with depression since she was 13 years old, and it wasn’t until she was in her 30s that she realized what she was suffering from.
RELATED: Michelle Williams Reveals She Suffered from Suicidal Thoughts: ‘I Wanted Out’
“I think at the age of 25, had I had a name to what I was feeling at the time, I would have disclosed that ‘I’ve been suffering from depression,’” she said.
In 2013, she told the Associated Press she’d “dealt with depression” before.
“I had to choose to get out of bed and do whatever I needed to do to be happy,” she told the outlet. “We’re taught, ‘Just go to church and pray about it. The Lord is going to heal you.’”
“Well, in the meantime, I believe God-gifted people, physicians, doctors, therapists – that’s your healing. Take advantage of it. Go see a professional so that they can assess you. It’s okay if you’re going through something,” she said. “Depression is not okay, but it is okay to go get help.”
Williams and Johnson spoke to PEOPLE about their engagement in April, nearly one month after he proposed. When they met in March 2017, the singer said she was “in a horrible, dark place.”
“I just needed to go somewhere where I could get a message of hope and restoration, rejuvenation — get connected to God,” she said of meeting Johnson at a spiritual retreat he ran in Arizona. Johnson, 40, could relate.
“When we met, both of us were in very similar places on a personal level,” says Johnson, who at the time had all but given up on dating. “Michelle was coming off the heels of a really bad relationship, and I was just in a place of despair as well.”
The two hit it off and told PEOPLE they were eager to get married quickly.
“We do wanna get married very, very soon,” Williams said at the time, admitting she had already chosen a dress. “We’ve been moving very quickly and planning. Why wait? I want to get married now, but he wants a wedding!”
