Did ProJared Really Have Depression? (+3 Important Insights)
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The Optimistminds editorial team is made up of psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Each article is written by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter. The article then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the subject matter and highly cited published material.
In this article, we will discuss ProJared depression. ProJared is a YouTube star whos fans believe the actor and content creator might have been in depression lately. We will take a glimpse of how his life unfolded till the time he gained fame, controversies he is involved in and the downfall he faced as an aftermath of the controversies. We will also look at the dark side of the internet and how to deal with depression caused by cancel culture and the internet.
Was ProJared in depression?
Though the YouTuber himself did not reveal his mental health challenges, his fans believe he is in depression.
Who is ProJared?
Jared Knabenbauer, more famously know as ProJared, is a YouTuber who reviews games and is most known for his One Minute Reviews. He makes other long videos too discussing various things, Top 10s. Like most other YouTube video game reviewers, has a Let’s Play channel called “ProJared”.
He posted his first video on September 17th, 2010. It was titled ‘Two Worlds – ProJared.” The video has gained a million-plus views since it was posted. Many of his videos have thousands of viewers but the most-watched videos wereProJared’s most popular video, “How to Make Slender Not Scary” with six million-plus views, with his second being “Worst Console Ever – ProJared” at over three million views.
Controversies surrounding ProJared
In May 2019, Jared announced on social media that he and his wife at the time had filed for a divorce. In that very post, Jared made clear that the couple had tried their best to stay together by seeking individual and couples’ counselling but it was best for the both of their happiness that they separate from each other.
Post this revelation, his wife, Heidi O’Ferrall, took to twitter to accuse him of cheating on her with another YouTuber/gamer’s ex-wife. O’Ferrall then accused Knabenbauer of having gaslit and otherwise behaved abusively toward her, prompting other people to speak out about feeling used by Knabenbauer.This created a huge stir on the social media sites.
Just immediately after this, he was also accused of demanding nude pictures from his fans and circulating unsolicited nude pictures of himself too. The fans who made these accusations said they were teenagers at the time. Since then, the tag of being a ‘Paedophile’ has been hanging on ProJared’s character.
About this, his ex-wife said the following. “In the beginning, it was a joke on Tumblr” meant for consenting adults, she writes. But eventually, O’Ferrall says it turned into “an abuse of power for him to intentionally manipulate anyone to show him their unclothed body on the basis that he’s a popular internet man.”
ProJared’s struggle with depression
Post the allegations erupting one after the other against him, Jared released statements stating that all allegations are untrue. People (his fans) should not believe anything that random people say as part of hate speech to tarnish the reputations of a person just to get attention.
The youtube star never publicly talked about his mental health challenges after having to face such allegations. But he took time off his work and became very inactive on social media. This made the fans wonder if the accusations had taken a toll on him and he was in depression.
Even if not depression, the actions surely would have had serious impact on Jared’s mind.
Can the internet be a dark place?
Yes.
The technology advancement that has happened and that is happening as you read this was originally meant to connect people across the world, make information transfer and business easier and efficient, reduce usage of depleting resources like trees that produce paper, etc.
The problem with internet is the lack of policing. People sometimes take their right to freedom of speech and opinion to the extremes where unkind comments are spewed ruthlessly on others. The repercussions of these actions or typed/posted words destroy the self-image, public image, peace of mind, and in the case of people earning their living out of the internet- a source of income too. This pushes the people on the receiving end of the cruelty over the edge.
Among the many harmful acts happening on the internet is the ‘cancel culture’ which is what happened with Jared.
What is cancel culture?
Any content posted on the media can go viral. Sadly, it more so happens in the case of hate speech and gossip. This is because that is exactly the kind of news the consumers are more attracted to, so the media houses push that in the forefront to increase their business.
In case of Jared too, people immediately latched onto the accusations of him being in non-consentual relationships with children without cross checking the facts. There was no concrete evidence against him, this could have been purely an act of character assasination. These allegations spread like wild fire, beginning a disgraceful sequence of events ranging from people spreading nude pictures of him to unsubscribing his YouTube channel and harassing him through the comments section whenever he posted any tweet or post anywhere on his social media handles.
This behavior is what is popularly defined as “cancel culture.” Nowadays, when any public figure does anything deemed unacceptable by the masses or is simply accused of such a thing, social media users everywhere go out of their way to sabotage that person’s career and irreparably destroy their reputation. Jared himself tweeted that he had been a victim of the cancel culture.
What can be done if you are struggling with depression
First and foremost, limit the time you spend on the internet
This can be a difficult choice to make when there are more and more jobs based on the internet and with the advancement of technology and increased accessibility to computers and internet services it is difficult to not read about what goes on in the world.
But it is important to have a designated time limit to how much time you spend on the internet and social media interactive platforms.
This is particularly important for the current generation because depression triggered based on the content seen online is increasing as time passes by. Many people, especially youngsters determine their self worth by comparing how inferior their lives are in comparison to known and unknown people they follow on the social media platforms. Stuff posted about them has a massive impact on the mental health status of individuals.
Know that the reel world is not the real world
Life updates given by people behind their camera lenses can be a distorted picture from how their lives actually are. People may not be as wealthy, smart, influential in real life as they project on social media. Beauty and body standards too set by the ‘gram is unrealistic. People can distort the shape, colour, clarity of their face and bodies using filters and photo editing software that are so easily available.
These distorted images set a popular trend (which keeps changing every now and then) on how one should look, behave, act and feel in order to fit in with the crowd. This puts an immense pressure on people to be a certain way which may be very different from how they actually are. This pressure then leads to mental, physical, emotional and social health challenges requiring professional intervention.
Also, everything written about someone may not be true. People cook up stories to get attention, professionals working in the media do it to fulfill their viewership targets without realising or realising and ignoring the fact that their actions have detrimental effects on the lives of others.
Consult a psychiatrist
A psychiatrist can prescribe medication, for example, antidepressants based on the severity of the condition of the person. Antidepressants are an important part of recovery and going to a professional should not be delayed.
Seek mental health therapy
Jared seeked mental health therapy as he was going through the process of divorce. Divorce and separation takes a toll on the mental health of the persons involved even if the divorce is a mutual decision.
Seeking couples’ counselling can be beneficial to help couples’ overcome their everyday challenges, improve communication and learn to be collaborating partners in each others life by being supportive. In cases where the couple has drifted beyond the means of being helped by counselling, it is still essential to seek therapy as individuals. This is important so that the person does not repeat the cycles of trauma and hurt with another partner in the future or even help them grow as a person.
Consulting a counselor/ psychotherapist is essential in mental health issues. This, most often, goes hand in hand with medication based on the severity of depression.
A counselor can bring in newer ways of perception, help the person to emote better while engaging in healthy boundary-making. The counselor can also help the person eradicate irrational thoughts and beliefs that inhibit the person’s well-being. The counselor and the client, together, also work on and construct healthier coping mechanisms against stressors for the client. The counselor can also help the client work through life challenges that he/she may have experienced many years back or is facing currently. Working on issues in the past helps bring perspective into influential hidden traumas that the client may not have realised.
Improve lifestyle choices and work towards good health
Health is a concept with many interlinkages and it is also all-encompassing. One can’t expect to have good mental health if their physical health is deteriorating and vice-versa. Exercising, healthy eating habits, good sound sleep, and practicing mindfulness, along with any medication/therapy if need be, can help attain victory over any condition, including depression.
Conclusion
In this article, we discussed ProJared depression. ProJared is a YouTube star whos fans believe the actor and content creator might have been in depression lately. We took a glimpse of how his life unfolded till the time he gained fame, controversies he is involved in and the downfall he faced as an aftermath of the controversies. We also looked at the dark side of the internet and how to deal with depression caused by cancel culture and the internet.
Frequently Asked Questions: ProJared Depression
What is ProJared’s net worth?
As of 2019, ProJared’s net worth was 1 million USD which he earned from his YouTube channel posting gaming reviews and other relevant content. As of January 2021, his YouTube channel is worth 78,000 USD.
Where does ProJared live?
Jared was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He lived in Dallas, Texas, and then moved to Seattle, Washington.
How many videos has ProJared created uptil now?
Jared has 288+ videos on his YouTube channel.
Who was ProJared’s ex wife?
Heidi O’Ferrall is an award-winning artist, designer, YouTuber, and cosplayer based in Seattle, Washington, USA. Her portfolio includes a broad range of textile work, sculpting, and photography with a specialty in leatherwork and sewing.
References:
https://youtube.fandom.com/wiki/ProJared
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