Following the hack of Josh Seiter’s Instagram that led to a false announcement of his death in late August, Bachelor alum said he checked himself into a mental health facility.
The former reality TV star, 36, shared on Instagram on Monday that she will be “logging off” social media to spend time in wellness after weeks of “endless bullying.”
“Over the past month I have received hundreds of hateful messages and endless harassment regarding my account being hacked,” he shared with his 583,000 followers.
“I wish I was stronger but I can’t take it anymore and I’m logging off social media forever and now I’m checking into a wellness facility to try and sort out my mental health,” he continued. “I’m losing my phone in the next hour. I love you all. To the people sending me death threats, you’ve won.”
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Seiter appeared as a potential suitor in ABC’s 11th season Bachelor 2015 during Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season, but was eliminated during the first week.
On August 28, a statement attributed to Seiter’s family appeared on his Instagram feed announcing that he had died, unexplained at the time.
“It is with extremely heavy hearts that we share the tragic news of Joshua’s unexpected death,” the post read. “As all who knew him can attest, Joshua was an incredibly bright light in an increasingly dark world.”
“His fearless voice and indomitable spirit helped thousands of people feel a little less alone in their darkest moments,” the statement continued. “Although the heartache of Joshua’s death hurts us immensely, we find comfort in knowing that he is finally at peace.”
Less than 24 hours later, Seiter deleted the previous fake death claim and uploaded a personal video stating that his account had been compromised.
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Josh Seiter on ‘The Bachelorette’ 2015.
Rick Rowell/Disney General entertainment content via Getty
PEOPLE spoke to Seiter by phone shortly after the incident to confirm he was alive. Seiter — who has long been open about his mental health journey — called the hacking “very unfortunate” and said he wants to continue to be an advocate for honest discussions about mental health.
“If you’re not open and honest, it shuts off connecting with other people who are going through something similar,” Seiter told PEOPLE. “Silence will inevitably lead to more suffering and pain. I feel like when you’re open about something, it opens up connections with other people who may be going through the same thing.”
In July, Seiter posted about his mental health on Instagram, writing, “When I was 21 I was completely catatonic and sent to a psych ward. When I was 22, I tried to take my own life. At the age of 23, I underwent electroshock therapy.”
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Today, Seiter uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and exercise to manage her mental health as a “holistic approach to combating depression and anxiety.”
“It allows me to restructure a lot of anxiety that I feel is due to faulty thinking,” he said of CBT. “The thinking is usually: ‘I have to be liked by others, I have to have the approval of others, I have to be good. I must be great. I must not embarrass myself.’ And then we don’t live up to those impossible standards of perfection, we denigrate ourselves.”
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Seiter told PEOPLE that he wants his life to go on so he can continue to search for that sense of purpose.
“I just want to keep working on myself,” he said. “I want to continue living. I want to continue to seek peace and happiness. I don’t have any grand goals of conquering the world or anything, I just want to find the meaning of life.”
If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the text crisis line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education