General Hospital star Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos) on the ABC daytime drama reminded his followers on why it’s so important to have family and friends to support those who struggle with mental health. Recently, he’s been posting some solo podcasts on State of Mind, and a recent repost still resonates over a year later.
Maurice Struggled A Lot
Suffering from anxiety and bipolar led Maurice to start his State of Mind podcast, and he often brings other guests who get very candid. But recently, he started reposting selected episodes. Although they are old footage, many GH fans still tune in because so many of them feel inspired by the ABC star.
This week, he chose one titled True Friendship. Now, you might recall that in July last year, many fans thought that the real-life Sonny Corinthos might exit the soap opera. He took two weeks off because he struggled with his character, his family’s absence, and his bipolar.
Talking about his potential exit at the time, Maurice Benard told followers that even if he leaves, and inevitably, he will, then he will still continue to work with mental health awareness. These days, he even talks about taking it to the streets to try and help the homeless.
The Repost About Friends
In his podcast, Maurice Benard told his followers that it wasn’t just his character, who coincidentally also has mental health issues, that caused his breakdown and the need for a two-week break from filming. His wife, Paula, and his supportive son were away. And, he didn’t contact them because he didn’t want to spoil things for them.
Fortunately, the ABC star has friends and cast colleagues like Steve Burton, (Jason Morgan), Jonathan Jackson, and more who are not on the GH show. Additionally, he credited executive producer Frank Valentini who gave him the time he needed to get better. Lapses in his therapy, insomnia, and a debilitating fear of not being able to act again took him down hard.
Leaning How Special Supporters Can Be
Benard described an initial attempt to find relief through medication, which quickly went wrong. “My psychiatrist gave me something,” he recalled, noting, “I don’t want to name what they are because I just don’t want to do that anymore.” The next morning, the outcome was severe. “it was not pretty. Let’s just put it that way. I was in real bad shape.”
In his distress, he reached out to a friend. This friend, in turn, contacted another, and the two began praying for him. “They both started praying for me and I was praying everybody’s praying and it’s just amazing the compassion that people have,” Maurice shared. He noted that, “the praying helped. I started feeling better the next day and the next day.”
After seeing a second psychiatrist and again trying medication that left him feeling unwell, Benard made a difficult decision: “So what I did was I just I decided not to take anything.”
A Tough Road
His choice made things feels worse, and Maurice admitted it as was “tough.” He said, “I mean shaking every morning getting up at 3:00 or 4 in the morning. So there was times like you know that I just wouldn’t sleep at all the whole night.”
Recognizing he needed help, he had a close friend, Majid Ree, stay with him. “He would want me to say his name,” Benard said, calling him “a champ, man. He stayed with me for five or six nights and he really really helped me out.” He also credited Annet Murgis, a neighbor, with helping him through that time.
Mental Health & Support
Additionally, he realized that his mental health impacts others. “Let me tell you something about mental illness. Mental illness is very selfish,” he said. Then he talked about how “it’s all about my pain, how I’m feeling. I don’t feel good. Help me please. And now granted, the pain is real. I get it.”
He praised the “patience” of his friends, saying, “it’s amazing the patience that that when you love someone, whether it be your wife, your son, anything, you love someone, friends, the patience that that they have.”
His friends’ dedication moved the ABC actor deeply. “I would call them in the middle of the night. I would be at someone’s house at 6:00 in the morning,” he recalled. “And they never ever wavered, man. Never. But that’s what that’s what true friendship is.”
While his family usually helped, “this time it was my friends a lot of the times. So I learned a lot about friendship.”
Fans React
Proof that the post was worthwhile re-sharing, many General Hospital fans took to the comments section to have their say. One of them wrote:
Maurice I was listening to the whole time that you were standing in your truth. To know that you have the support of Paula, your children, the GH family and GH friends is so amazing, which shows that you are loved by so many. Thanks Maurice for being real and honest about your experience of vulnerability. Love you. Peace!
Here are a few more responses from his fans:
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below, and remember to come back here often for all your General Hospital news and updates.
