To be shocked at this from mental health charity founder?

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Marjorie Wallace who founded mental health charity SANE in 1986, said when asked about Meghan Markle saying she had suicidal thoughts that she doesn’t ‘respect people who take victimhood on as a career’.

This is shocking. Do people hate Meghan so much that all ethics and morality is jettisoned?

I think there are two issues here. Firstly this was a terrible thing for someone in mental health to say. Secondly Meghan Markle has a credibility problem. In Wallace's position she should have never linked the two.

I can’t believe how many naive people on here think that being rich, and having access to mh professionals, makes someone immune to mh problems and suicide. If anything being high profile seems to make the incidence worse. It didn’t make much of a difference to Robin Williams, Anthony Bourdain, Avicii, Steve Bing, Kurt Cobain, Michael Hutchence, Caroline Flack to name just a few.

Rachel Johnson herself makes a very snide comment right at the beginning of every recent episode of her podcast ‘Difficult Women’ saying “this is not a Meghan Markle type podcast”, then some audio of MM is played with her saying, quite rightly in my opinion, that calling someone “a difficult woman” is a euphemism for the b word, and then RJ contradicts that saying something about “her” difficult women being the heroine of their own lives and not the victims.

Marjorie Wallace is a journalist by training and has past and current connections to the RF through her relationship with Lord Snowdon and through King Charles, after whom her research centre was named when he was POW.

LOL

Is being likened to a tabloid journalist a compliment ? I would have taken it as an insult.....

I often think poor mh seems to have a club and I don’t fit.

Probably because I appear capable.
I’ve tried telling my dh, my dsis, ( both have anxiety and depression) db and a good friend too how I feel, I just get shrugged off.
My dsis actually told me I would never be as ill as she is!

So now I don’t tell anyone.

Meghan Markle wasn’t deemed worthy to be in the mh club and I know how she feels.

She has a point .

Mental health, racism, Metoo and transwomen (aka men), are the sacred cows of modern life and anyone who dares criticise any aspect of these subjects are crucified in the media.

“Silence becomes cowardice when occasion demands speaking out the whole truth and acting accordingly.”
– Mahatma Gandhi.

Nelson Mandela (of genuine dancing in the street) says similar things.

Mental health, racism, Metoo and transwomen (aka men), are the sacred cows of modern life and anyone who dares criticise any aspect of these subjects are crucified in the media

Indeed. Pitchforks hidden under woke-cloaks are still pitchforks.

Come on now, don't play the victim 🤭

Hi Marjorie! 👋😂

What critical thinking? 😂What a nasty person you are. A shining example of the Dunning-Kruger effect - repeating tabloids' spiteful rhetoric and thinking that makes you clever? Your posts smack of jealousy and an unsympathetic attitude just BECAUSE she's the Duchess and happens to be rich, and married the prince you wanted. Surely a big brain like yourself should know that a person having suicidal thoughts is not in their right mind and therefore not thinking straight?? Let's hope it doesn't happen to you.

The whole quote makes it worse. My experience of mental health issues is that there are many people in this area who are convinced their way is the only way. Sounds like this woman is one of them.

Agree with this. MW is a plant by the flagging, pointless RF.

Agree with this. MW is a plant by the flagging, pointless RF
@Bugeyedowl So you reveal yourself as anti monarchy. Explains why you choose to believe a lady who has lied in court and whose story has no evidence to support it. In fact, did she ever receive mental health support? She seems remarkably serene for someone who was 'suicidal' at one point.

I do apologise for pointing out actual facts.

That is a disgraceful comment by Marjorie Wallace who really should know better.

More people shoud say this then she may shut the fuck up

She seems remarkably serene for someone who was 'suicidal' at one point.

Wow Is this rocket science or something? You do realise suicidal thoughts are not permanent states? That they can be cured? (Are you sure you're not Marjorie😂) She was UNHAPPY then, trapped in a cold hellhole, with the press hounding her constantly. This was supposed to have been her life, FOREVER. I would have been slitting my wrists if I was stuck there forever too.

She's clearly in a much better place now, literally and emotionally, and I'm very glad for her.

You know, you should use your considerable detective skills to solve ooh, actual crimes.

I think this is a really shocking thing for someone in her position to say.

Whatever she personally thinks of Meghan, she is there to represent her charity - which is supposed to be in the business of supporting people who are mentally unwell at best and suicidal at worst.

She’s a journalist by trade, and she’s not a new kid on the block in the role she’s in. The fact she was asked about Meghan being suicidal was an obvious bait - it should have been an easy sidestep to say something like ‘none of us know the details of Megan’s situation at that time so it would be wrong to comment, but here at SANE we have been campaigning tirelessly to break down the stigma around mental health and making it more normal for people to speak up about their difficulties and reach out for help etc etc blah de blah whatever’. That would have been the safe and expected answer.

What she’s done instead is allow her personal opinions on Meghan (and possibly Harry) to get the better of her and she’s come out with this damaging and patronising bile, which will be heard by the very people her charity is trying to help and do nothing but hurt the cause she’s supposedly working for.

It also gives a peek behind the curtain into what she really thinks of people who are struggling for various reasons, and what we see is someone who is judgemental. condescending not at all appealing. It could have so easily been avoided, her answer didn’t need to be about Meghan at all but about wider the topic of talking about mental health - but seeing what she’s revealed about herself perhaps it’s for the best!

I would not be surprised to hear she has stepped down, or been asked to, or to see SANE try and otherwise distance themselves from her remarks.

Quite. She clearly doesn’t believe that Meghan had MH issues. She still shouldn’t have said it imo.

Agree.

I think what some people feel uncomfortable about is that M is her appearing to not sharing her experience of suicidal thought and mental health in any sort of altruistic way, to help others without her enormous resources.

She has had a terrible time at the hands of the press, the reality of RF hierarchy was seemingly beyond her comprehension. Being a human shield for H feelings, anger, trauma probably felt noble and a great future source of attention on the worldwide stage when they 'exposed' the TRUTH of it all. The reality was they were crushed, her star power had no relevance atall in these circles. Its sad H did not do more to prepare her but perhaps she didn't listen.

The sharing over the last 4 years has been their choice but others in their family have no recourse. The grandiose comments that it was 'like when Nelson Mandela was freed', random crew on planes bowing to thank her for her 'service', the embarrassing reinactment of curtsey conversation re QE2, and the deflection whilst standing in one of the poorest nations on Earth that, 'nobody asked if I was okay'.... Its all awful.

If she was setting up a MH foundation for new mothers and using her experience as a way of encouraging others, that would be great. But, it's not the reason, it's always a tool to paint H & M as victims. It's not proactive, they are not self aware or insightful. 2 engaging people with incredible wealth, privilege and access.

She is absolutely beautiful!! I think I can say that had she looked like Chelsey D but from MM background and pulled this stuff, the UK public would have eate, n her alive in a much more vicious way due to her perceived class.

@Bugeyedowl Maybe you should consider aromantic novel writing career like your heroine, if I'm being invited to change careers and become a detective? Strange how in the Netflix drama she never mentions getting psychiatric help? No anti depressants, no mention of having post partum depression. Surely for a drama loving actress these detail would have been gold dust for the series? She talks about a miscarriage so she's not shy of sharing. How strange is that? Maybe not so strange when you consider her heroine Diana was suicidal when she was pregnant. You don't address the points that she had more than adequate access to mental health support? Maybe you are projecting and not looking at facts?

I'm not saying MM was not unhappy at the situation, it was an extremely difficult and stressful time for her. What I am saying is her milking and exaggerating this situation to add to her victim narrative is distasteful. It does a massive disservice to people with mental health problems who are crying out for help.

To say MM was suppressing her MH struggles because that's what some people in that situation do, to mask their distress, is completely ignoring the fact she didn't hide her distress or struggles. She says she went to HR. Harry was aware too but did nothing?? Really? His therapist was on speed dial. Her obstetrician and midwife would ask those questions. She's saying her husband ignored her need for help?

I'm sure it was unwise of the person in a position of authority to say this, but it doesn't mean it isn't true, and that her basic tenet wasn't valid.

That's a lot of words to say you don't have a clue about the situation, or mental health in general, but OK.

I worked with mental health patients for 6 months as part of a module. Inpatient not community. And again assessed acutely ill patients in A&E before referring them to the crisis team, but you're right. I know nothing.