Paulo Avelino opens up about ‘dark period’ in his life

MANILA, Philippines – Paulo Avelino spoke out about about his personal struggles with mental health, which included thoughts on taking his own life. 

Paulo’s Instagram post on Tuesday, November 5, began with a trigger warning to his followers about the graphic content of his photos and caption. 

“Rarely do I share personal stuff on my social media accounts but I think its time I talked about this dark period in my life because I know that someone out there is going through the same thing,” he wrote.

“I want you to know that everybody has issues and sometimes you seeing other people have them will help you cope with your own,” he added.

 Paulo shared that it was years ago when he found himself in a place where he saw only “one way out.” It was a “spiraling journey” involving depression and suicidal thoughts – where to him, nothing seemed to matter anymore. 

Because of this, he locked himself at home and rejected every job opportunity that came. He said that because he was naturally an introvert, shutting himself from work, friends, family and the world was something he was used to, especially keeping his thoughts to himself.

“Even when I wanted to share stuff, I truly didn’t know how to. I didn’t know how to voice out all these feelings and thoughts inside me,” Paulo said.

“So here I am sharing with you guys that even the people who appear to be okay or who seem to “have it all” might be going through their own struggles, fighting their own demons,” he added. 

Paulo urged his followers not to be afraid to reach out to friends, family and loved ones. 

“Often times people will brush it off thinking it’s nothing to be concerned about or it’s a small matter. Don’t be scared to voice out what you feel no matter how hard it is. Never lose HOPE,” Paulo wrote.

He ended his post with a tip to call Hopeline, a hotline for those struggling with mental health disorders, especially for those who “aren’t ready to open up to the people closest to you.”

In August 2019, Paulo talked about his mental health struggles on Twitter, after losing a close friend to suicide. – Rappler.com

The Department of Health has a national crisis hotline to assist people with mental health concerns. The hotline can be reached at 0917-899-USAP (8727) and 0917-989-8727. The Natasha Goulbourn Foundation can also be reached at 804-4673 and ‎0917-558-4673.