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Paris Jackson: I self-harmed during my depression battle


Paris Jackson used to "cut and burn" herself during her battle with depression.
The 22-year-old daughter of the late Michael Jackson has admitted she struggled with her mental health as a teenager, which led to a period where she would self-harm in order to feel a "dopamine release".
She explained: "I would cut and burn myself. I never thought that I would die from it because I was the one that was in control with the razor. I knew how deep I was going, and it was kind of, part of it was the dopamine release."
Paris said self-harm was a "distraction from emotional pain", and admitted she also attempted to take her own life "many times" before going to a therapeutic boarding school in Utah to seek professional help.
She added: "The problems I went there for got fixed, but I left there with many more."
The model and musician stopped taking her antidepressants and mood stabilisers because they were muting her positive feelings in addition to her negative ones, and now says her depression "comes in waves".
Speaking during an episode of her and her boyfriend's Facebook Watch show, 'Unfiltered: Paris Jackson and Gabriel Glenn', she said: "For me, my depression comes in waves, so even though the lows are unbearably low, I would still rather [feel] that than nothing. Pain is way better than numb because at least you're feeling something."
Meanwhile, Paris recently spoke about the pressure of growing up in the spotlight, as she claimed people often "forget" she is "human".
She said: "You see a kid grow up in the public eye, you forget that I am a human. I was against letting the world in because it wasn't a choice. I wasn't ready then. I feel like I'm ready now."