For the First Time, General Hospital’s Nathan Dean Opens Up About His Struggles Following a Devastating Loss
It’s the return many General Hospital fans have been waiting for and it won’t be long before we see Nathan Dean back on our screens this week. However, ahead of getting our first glimpse at Ethan back on the canvas, the ABC soap fave was the latest guest on Maurice Benard’s (Sonny) State of Mind and engaged in a deep conversation ahead of Thursday’s World Semicolon Day, a mental health awareness day dedicated to suicide prevention. For the first time, Dean opened up about the personal battles he’s faced, including his struggle with depression, the devastating loss of his younger brother to suicide, how his wife’s support has helped him navigate his darkest moments and what keeps him going in the face of it all.
Discussing how the sudden and devastating loss of his brother and the painful realization that mental health struggles can remain completely hidden, even within families, Dean shared, “He was 28… and he waited two weeks after my mom’s birthday just so he could have a happy birthday with her and then he drove to Fort Hood and shot himself in the face. There was no lead-up to it.” Having struggled with mental health for decades, he never imagined his younger brother had been going through the same thing. “I think that’s the biggest problem with mental health. Until the individual can actually access the problem… it’s just largely unknown.”
The tragic loss brought the actor’s own struggles into sharper focus, and Dean shared how his wife Kate helped him navigate the hardest moments. “I’ve been dealing with it since I was 11, 12 years old… There is never a moment that goes by where she doesn’t check in… [by reassuring,] ‘You may not be you today. How do we get back to being you?’ and that is such a blessing… No one should have to take on our mental [bleep]… but they willingly do.” Agreeing with Benard about the love involved, Dean added, “I really never understood, until I met her.”
When anyone experiences such a loss, others may wonder how they continue to get through each day and the actor revealed what keeps him going. “I choose to be the optimist… I choose to believe that there is something that we get to do after this. There’s no proof… I choose to believe. And that keeps me going.” And despite his depression and watching his brother die, Dean continued, “I choose to believe that this is not it. I don’t know what that is… I choose to believe that we get to live past this.”
Watch the full conversation here…
If you are struggling or know anyone who is from depression or suicidal thoughts, you’re not alone. The 988 lifeline is always open should anyone need help or just to talk.
