Prince Harry details experiencing panic attacks on way to work in mental health admission
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
Prince Harry has opened up about his long-standing struggles with mental health, revealing he experienced panic attacks while serving in the Army before 'slipping into depression' after leaving the UK.
The Duke of Sussex has long campaigned for greater awareness around mental health and the importance of seeking support, but the 40-year-old has now detailed his own struggles in a recent interview.
During a deeply personal new MasterClass episode, Harry opened up about how serving in the British army when he was just 20 served as a 'distraction' to what was going on in his mind following the death of his mother, Princess Diana.
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"For 15, 20 years, when I was being asked, 'Are you okay?' My response was, 'I’m fine.'
"It was numbness, emotional shutdown. And without knowing it, adrenaline was pushing me, was driving me."
The Duke noted that he didn't 'really think about much else apart from the task at hand', further fuelling a downward spiral.
And it was after returning from Afghanistan in 2013 that he began to recognise how the way he was living was contributing to his trauma.
He said: "The things that I saw, the things I experienced, appeared to be a trigger for other traumas that had stored themselves within me.
"I started to realize that I probably had become seriously depleted when just putting a simple dress shirt on - the tightening of the collar - literally felt like I was suffocating, and I would be experiencing panic attacks just in the car on the way to work."
But it's not the only time he suffered.
After stepping back from royal duties in 2020 and relocating with his young family, Harry detailed 'slipping into depression' for two weeks after arriving in Canada.
"I experienced this adrenaline crash, something that I’d never experienced before.
"I actually slipped into depression for about two weeks and I felt like I couldn’t function without adrenaline."
Prior to their relationship deteriorating, Harry and his older brother, Prince William, worked together on a number of mental health initiatives, using their public platform to encourage people to speak out.
Alongside the Kate Middleton, now Princess of Wales, they launched the Heads Together campaign in 2016, which brought together several mental health charities and aimed to tackle the stigma.
The brothers have since spoken publicly about the strain in their relationship, with Harry previously describing their relationship as strained, while William has largely remained private about the rift.
Harry moved back to the UK with his wife Meghan Markle, former Suits actress, just last month, and their young children Archie and Lilibet are now enrolled in UK schools.
And the mom-of-two has also been open about her mental health struggles since becoming part of the royal family.
In her 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan said she experienced what she described as a 'very clear and real and frightening thought' of taking her life while pregnant with Archie.
The 39-year-old said she reached a point where she 'just didn't want to be alive anymore'.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
If you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Topics: Prince Harry, Mental Health, Prince William, Royal Family
Mia Williams