Paris Jackson Reveals She “Nearly Gave Up” During Years of Mental Health Struggles

Paris Jackson is speaking openly about some of the darkest periods of her life, including addiction, suicide attempts and her long journey toward recovery.

In a new interview on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast, the 28-year-old singer said she “nearly gave up the fight” several times while struggling with untreated mental illness and substance abuse.

Jackson said her first suicide attempt happened when she was 15, about a year after she began experimenting with drugs and alcohol. She described the combination of addiction and untreated mental health problems as increasingly difficult to endure.

Following the advice of Child Protective Services, Jackson was sent to a treatment center in Utah by her family. She spent nearly two years there but said the experience left her with more trauma than when she arrived.

“I definitely left with more PTSD than I went in there with,” Jackson said. She recalled having nightmares about returning to the facility for years afterward. While she said she did not experience physical or sexual abuse there, she described the environment as psychologically, emotionally and spiritually abusive.

Her struggles continued after she left treatment. At one point, after quitting heroin suddenly, she was still drinking alcohol, using cocaine and smoking marijuana. She said she was sleeping only one or two hours a night for weeks before attempting suicide by taking a large amount of medication with vodka.

When she survived, Jackson said she was initially upset that the attempt had failed.

Weeks later, she reached what she described as a “proper rock bottom” with alcohol. That experience ultimately pushed her toward sobriety.

Even after becoming sober, however, suicidal thoughts did not immediately disappear. Jackson said she spent a long time going back and forth between feeling that she could not continue and believing that she was still alive for a reason.

Eventually, she began looking at her situation differently. Instead of focusing only on the pain, she decided to accept the full range of experiences that life could bring.

Jackson now uses therapy, meditation, prayer and other spiritual practices to manage her mental health. She said that suicidal thoughts returned around the time she reached five years of sobriety, leading her to undergo electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

The experience inspired the striking cover image for her new album, Happiest Day of My Life. Jackson said ECT brought her relief and helped her during another difficult period.

Although she knows her mental health challenges may return, Jackson said she now has a different perspective and a set of tools to help her cope.

“I think happiness is temporary. I think pain is temporary,” she said. “And so knowing that I may get sad again, and I may go through a dark time again, hopefully will be bringing the information with me this time of ‘there is a way out. You’ve done it before. You will do it again.’”

Her story reflects the reality that recovery is not always a straight line. For Jackson, staying well means continuing to seek help, recognizing warning signs and remembering that difficult periods can pass.