Former Disney Star Karan Brar Comes Out as Bisexual, Talks Struggles With Alcohol & Depression
Karan Brar has come out publicly as bisexual.
The 24-year-old former Disney Channel star wrote a touching essay, sharing his journey to self-acceptance, struggles with alcohol, depression and suicidal thoughts, which led to a stint in a treatment facility.
Keep reading to find out more…
Karan shared that the first people he came out to were his best friends Sophie Reynolds and the late Cameron Boyce after they moved in together. The moment it happened was when he was throwing up from drinking too much and was huddled over a toilet.
“The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted it. I could barely see straight, but I ended up trying to do some damage control anyway,” he said, in his essay for Teen Vogue. “The best thing I could think of came stumbling out of my mouth: ‘If you guys want me to move out I can. Just give me two weeks to figure it ou–’”
Karan noted they interrupted him with a hug and re-assured him that his sexuality did not change how they felt about him.
After Cameron died in 2019, the actor shared that he struggled through the grief, dealing with his internalized homophobia, and had turned to alcohol.
“I’d been on a downward spiral since Cameron suddenly died, and with the pandemic putting the world on pause, I was forced to sit with myself,” he said. “I refused to acknowledge how much pain I was in and isolated myself in a deeply unhealthy relationship with alcohol. Almost every night was spent getting drunk by myself in order to cope.”
In the summer of 2020, he realized he needed to look inside himself, and after having suicidal thoughts, he admitted himself into a treatment facility for depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.
“I’d spent years trying to fastidiously maintain a public facade, and yet there I was, fulfilling the Disney star rehab prophecy I had been adamant on avoiding. I was flooded with a sense of failure, but there was no turning back now,” he admitted.
While in treatment, Karan was diagnosed with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and Major Depressive Disorder, but now, he doesn’t feel he fits the criteria for PTSD anymore.
Now, Karan shares that he is in remission from depression with the help of medication, and he’s no longer “drowning in grief” after losing Cameron. He also no longer has suicidal thoughts.
Read Karan Brar‘s full essay over on TeenVogue.com!
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