In a new interview with Montreal Rocks, Papa Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix opened up about his work with a suicide prevention campaign and his own struggles.
Asked what he thinks the biggest misunderstanding is about mental health, the frontman said:
“ I would say one of the biggest misconceptions around it is that people don’t wanna hear about it or your problems or your struggle. ‘I don’t wanna inconvenience them with what I’m going through.’ Nine times out of 10, if you’ve got somebody around you that really cares for you and loves you, they’re gonna sit and listen and walk this thing out.”
The frontman revealed that he had lost a few friends and family members to suicide:
“In my lifetime, I’ve had quite a few friends die by suicide, I’ve had family members die by suicide. It’s something that has been screaming in my face since I was in my teen years. And now it is at a fever pitch. And that’s really why I’m sitting here rapping with you about it, is because we need to talk about it. I think that’s when the darkness starts to lose hold, is when you start to communicate about your darkness, because when you bring that darkness if you shed some light on it, there’s no competition to that.”
Shaddix’s Warning About Mental Health
Shadix talked about the importance of mental health in many other interviews. He also released songs with the band that highlighted its significance.
In a 2017 interview, during the year when both Chester Bennington and Chris Cornell passed away, the rocker urged his fans to check in on their loved ones regularly. He emphasized that someone close to them might be going through a tough time:
“Well, I’m telling you, if you’ve got a friend that you think is going through some f*cking darkness, press in, go talk to them, see where they’re really at, you know? A lot of the time, people might not be forthright about what’s going on, because there’s a lot of shame in feeling that way. If you’re at the end of your rope, it’s a very hard thing to admit.”
He admitted to seeing a therapist and added:
“I see a therapist. I like going in and just talking to somebody where there’s no preconceived notion of how they need to treat me. There’s no baggage. It’s just, ‘I’m here to listen.’ And nine times out of ten, for me, it’s like taking the pressure valve off. And stress levels, period, for everybody, just keep going up. It’s an issue that needs to be talked about.”
You can see the recent interview below.