LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: After the Instagram hack incident in which false news of Josh Seiter's death circulated in late August, the former contestant from The Bachelorette announced that he will be seeking support at a mental health facility.
Seiter, aged 36, shared on Instagram that he plans to take a break from social media due to enduring weeks of relentless harassment.
Struggles amid harassment and false death announcement
He expressed his struggles, having received hundreds of hurtful messages and constant harassment, largely stemming from the hack on his account.
"For the last month I've received hundreds of hateful messages and unending harassment related to my account being hacked," he shared with his 583,000 followers.
"I wish I was stronger but I can't take any more and am logging off of social media for good and am checking myself into a wellness facility now to try to get some kind of handle on my mental health," he continued.
"I am losing my phone in the next hour. I love you all. To the people sending me death threats, you win."
Josh Seiter, known for his appearance on Season 11 of ABC's The Bachelorette during Kaitlyn Bristowe's season, where he was eliminated in the first week, had previously experienced a false announcement of his death on August 28th, attributed to his family on his Instagram feed, with no cause provided at the time.
Subsequently, he clarified that his account had been compromised and removed the initial false statement.
It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share the tragic news of Joshua's unexpected passing," the announcement read.
"As all who knew him can attest, Joshua was an incredibly bright light in an increasingly dim world."
"His fearless voice and indomitable spirit helped thousands of people in their darkest moments feel just a little less alone," the statement continued.
"Although our heartache at Joshua's passing pains us beyond measure, we find comfort knowing that he is finally at peace."
Advocating for open mental health conversations and a holistic approach
Seiter discussed the hack incident with PEOPLE, emphasizing the importance of open and honest discussions about mental health.
“If you’re not open and honest, it precludes a connection to other people that are going through something similar,” Seiter told PEOPLE.
“Silence is going to lead inevitably to more suffering and more pain. I feel like when you’re open about something, it opens up connections to other people who might be going through the same thing.”
In a July Instagram post, Seiter openly discussed his mental health journey, sharing, “When I was 21 I was completely catatonic and committed to a psychiatric ward. When I was 22 I tried taking my own life. At 23, I underwent electroshock therapy.”
Presently, Seiter employs a holistic approach to managing his mental well-being, which involves cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and regular exercise.
“It allows me to restructure lots of the anxiety that I feel is from faulty thinking,” he said of CBT.
“The thinking is usually, ‘I must be liked by others, I must have others' approval, I must do well. 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.”
When speaking to PEOPLE, Seiter expressed his desire to continue his journey and search for a sense of purpose in life.
“I just want to keep working on myself,” he said. “I want to keep living. I want to keep searching for peace and happiness. I don’t have any grand goals of conquering the world or anything, I just want to find meaning in life.”
For individuals in need of mental health assistance, can reach out by texting "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741, where they will be connected with a certified crisis counselor.
