'Sister Wives' Star Madison Brown Preaches Importance of 'Self-Care' After Late Brother Garrison's Death by Suicide
Maddie Brown Brush opened up on her late brother Garrison's struggles with mental health nearly two weeks after his tragic death by suicide.
The Sister Wives star took to Instagram on Monday, March 18, and reminded her followers that "mental health is so important and I don't think we talk about it enough."
"I shared with a friend, who has also been intimately touched by the tragedy of suicide, how surreal it feels to step back into the rhythm of 'normal life' — observing others engaged in their everyday routines while my mind remains consumed with thoughts of Garrison," she said in the caption.
"She acknowledged that the shadow of such a loss lingers for months," Maddie continued. "Though I am not naïve to the fact of returning to what once was ‘normal’ wont be happening. I find myself prepared to start getting back into this new normalcy."
She noted that after what her family has experienced, she doesn't think enough is done to "bring awareness" to mental health.
"It wasn’t bullying, it wasn’t a lack of love that Garrison had," she said of her late brother, who suffered from depression in the days leading up to his death. "And I am going to continue talking about mental health and self-care until I’m blue in the face because I don’t think it’s talked about enough in a way that people understand it."
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Maddie also pointed out the negative effect social media can have on people, adding that the lives shown online are not necessarily the truth.
"It’s a highlight reel," she explained. "Garrison used to feel like he wasn’t doing enough because he was comparing himself to things on social media, and I don’t think that it’s real and I think we need to remember that."
Fans took to the comments section to praise the 28-year-old reality television personality for spreading awareness about the importance of self care and mental health conditions after Garrison's tragic death.
"That was beautiful Madison. Mental health IS health. It needs to be destigmatized and treated respectfully," one user penned. "I know so many ‘intelligent’ people that run from anyone with Mental Heath challenges. Let’s embrace and rally around them as we would anyone who experiences any type of physical health issues."
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A second follower encouraged her to keep talking about her sibling to keep his memory alive.
"The way he lived... the smiles, the laughs, how infuriating he was, how loving he was," they said. "Talk, remember and love."