Jamaican actor Owen ‘Blakka’ Ellis opened

up about his struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts for World Mental

Health Day yesterday.

Ellis, regarded as one of the island’s

best comedians, shared that he wanted to share his story “openly and honestly”

in an attempt to have more people consider the question “How well are you?”.

“Mek mi say this up front, I am no mental

health expert but I have been somebody who has struggled with mental health

(issues). I have been diagnosed as clinically depressed, I have been prescribed

antidepressants and I have actively considered and planned my own suicide,”

Ellis said.

He added, “I am going to be sharing a number

of ideas in some videos in the next few weeks dealing with the whole matter of

mental health, and as it affect men particularly.”

The issue of his mental health was brought

to the fore recently when he was invited by his brother and son to participate

in a push-up challenge, which he said played on his emotional state as he was

unable to do so.

“Men have to constantly measure up, men

are being pushed to constantly ‘man up’, to compete, to prove and that sometimes

put the real pressure on men. So men, chill, tek a deep breath, relax and be

honest with yourself, and ask yourself ‘how well are you?”

Earlier in the video, he writer and

performer addressed the issue of suicide, which is often looked at as

cowardice. “People very often condemn people who commit suicide as cowards, as

if it’s an act of cowardice.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Owen Blakka Ellis (@blakkaellis) on Oct 10, 2020 at 10:36am PDT

“I want to say this, as somebody who has considered,

who has planned and who has thought a lot about my own suicide, I am here

living because I am a coward. I think that suicide is an act of courage and I

have been saved from that demise because I was too afraid, too coward to do it;

thank God for that cowardice,” he shared.

He asked, “How willing are you to embrace,

to face and acknowledge your own ‘madness’?”, challenging people to consider

their mental state and how they address tough situations. “How do you deal with

hurt and annoyance? How prone are you to anger? How fixed are you to habits

like drinking and smoking? How well are you?”

Ellis said he would share more on his well-being

and mental illness in subsequent videos.