Why did Paris Jackson attempt suicide?

Paris Jackson, 15 years old, injured her right forearm after midnight on Wednesday of last week using a meat cleaver. She also took 20 ibuprofen pills. Previously, she had injured her left wrist as well. That night, she had informed a suicide counseling center about her attempt during a call, and after the center contacted 911, an ambulance was sent to Paris’s home to take her to the hospital. Her attempt was described as a cry for help—not a serious act of saying goodbye to life.

The living conditions of Michael Jackson’s children have changed dramatically over the past four years. After losing their father, they entered a new phase. Before his death, Michael strongly protected their privacy; no photos of them were seen anywhere. But now they have become headline news. Michael rarely spoke about his children in interviews, but Michael’s brothers and sisters talk about them in many of their interviews. The grief of losing their father, the disruption of their privacy, tabloid controversies and family fights, the impact of the media and the internet, harassment at school, the claim by Mark Lester that he is their father, the AEG lawsuit in which the last days of their father’s life and his medication-related issues, pains, suffering, and humiliations are discussed—and worst of all, false accusations against Michael—have put these kids in a disastrous situation and, ultimately, pushed Paris toward suicide.

Exactly one year ago, in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Paris talked about the harassment of schoolgirls. A month later, her only legal guardian, her grandmother Katherine, was removed from the home by Paris’s siblings. Jannet, Jermaine, Randy, and Rebbie did not allow Katherine to speak with Paris and her brothers. With no way out, Paris used Twitter to tell the world that her grandmother was missing. After that, Jannet, Randy, and Jermaine went to their home in Calabasas to solve the children’s problem, but their help was basically trying to take the kids’ iPhones away so they wouldn’t use Twitter. Paris threatened in a tweet that if her grandmother didn’t return, she would get revenge. After Katherine returned—unaware of everything—the peak of the kids’ sadness and anger was shown in a tweet from Prince. She said her father had warned her about certain people in the family. She said that if those people continued their lies, she would reveal more truths. She also posted a photo showing that those people had intentionally blocked the children’s access to Katherine.

What was their goal? They wanted to convince Katherine to act against the guardians of the Michael Foundation and against his will by keeping her away from the children. In his will, Michael gave all his wealth to his three children and entrusted the management of his affairs to his friend and longtime lawyer, John Branca. While Katherine was resting at a hot springs hotel, her grandchildren were deprived of enough sleep. Prince’s tweet was sent at 4 a.m., showing that worry had robbed the children of their nightly sleep. If that wasn’t enough, Prince’s account was hacked by a family member, and his tweets were deleted. Prince responded to this insult to his privacy in the morning by reposting the tweets.

Two months after this incident, the school year began and Paris entered high school. At that time, Paris was still affected by the problem her uncles and aunts had created for her and her brothers two months earlier. TMZ, citing some of Paris’s classmates, wrote that since the start of this school year she had been experiencing a drop in academic performance. The school administrators also knew that Paris was dealing with a family problem.

It has been said that Paris was planning to change schools after the end of this term. She is not expected to return to Buckley School. The lies by Vivid Robson about her father made things extremely difficult for this teenage girl at school. It is said that Paris might enroll in a performing arts high school, or study at home like her younger brother. But Prince, her older brother, plans to return to Buckley next fall and continue his education. As someone who is recognized by school administrators and teachers, selected by students, and a member of the United States’ National Honor Society, she will go after finishing her studies to the Los Angeles Film School, which is considered the best film school in the world. Membership in the National Honor Society is a special advantage for admission to college. Getting into this society is not easy because, in addition to excellent grades, students need decision-making power, project management and leadership, and teamwork skills—and they must also be ethically approved. Nothing has been said about whether Paris, like her sister, was being harassed by classmates at school.

Before this, Paris had signed a contract to act in a film titled “Londons Bridge,” which is still in production, and no precise information has been released. Janet Jackson and some family members were against Paris taking this step. Janet said in an interview that she would prefer her niece focus on her studies. TMZ writes that the Jackson family tried to stop Paris. While the truth of this claim is unclear, TMZ quotes a school administrator saying this matter was the “final blow” aimed at Paris. Of course, the film plan remained in place after Paris’s suicide attempt, and the producer said that her recent attempt did not cause them to reconsider their decision:

“Paris will shine in this role. She has focused on improving and developing her acting skills and is becoming a capable actor.”

Television networks also reported that earlier this year Paris was hospitalized due to depression. Roger Friedman said Paris has a habit of cutting her body. TMZ published photos of her showing the marks of cuts on her wrists.

Paris always used songs to reflect her feelings on Twitter. About a month ago she started writing dark and gloomy lyrics. But no one could guess what was going through her mind.

In February, Paris wrote: “We never know why teenage loves are so annoying.”

In late April, she added a tweet to her interests and posted the same tweet with slight changes on her personal Facebook:

“Parents: Why don’t you bond with the family? Me: I sit with the family, everyone insults me, I go back to my room.”

On Facebook, she replaced “Parents” with the name of her cousin TJ.

One month ago, Paris wrote the title of a song by Marilyn Manson with a slight change on her Twitter: “Hey evil world” (Hello, evil world)—the original title of Manson’s song is “Hey cruel world.” She then called Kurt Cobain, the Nirvana singer who committed suicide in 1994 and was a fan of Michael, “Jesus”: “Kurt Cobain is Jesus.”

On June 1, she wrote: “Every time I try to distract myself from something, it doesn’t work. And every night I repeat the same mistake.”

The next day she wrote: “I hate studying alone. I can’t focus. Like right now when I tried to study but I’m on Twitter.”

On her personal Facebook page, in response to a friend who asked why she doesn’t smile in photos, she wrote: “I hate smiling. Smiling is for happy people.” Her friend replied: “No no, smiling is for weak people.” And Paris finally said: “What if you’re so weak you can’t even smile?”

And a song by Zee Avi on Twitter: “You said I need counseling, okay, my dear, you too. You don’t have to show me right and wrong every time I say something or do something.”

On Monday: “Don’t listen to a word I say, the screams all sound the same,” which is a part of the song “Little Talks” by Monsters And Men.

She also revealed her interest in playing the role of “Dr. Who,” which made the Daily Star assign its cover image to Paris and write: “Jackson girl wants to become Dr. Who.”

Just a few days ago, a video of Paris teaching facial makeup techniques was released on YouTube. She appeared very energetic in the video and revealed that she watches the animated film “Tangled” three times a week, and that as a child her dream was to marry a cowboy (cowboy). She makes funny faces with her face and says: “I need serious help, I’m crazy.” In the video she repeatedly says she is very weird (weird—this name was used as an insult to Michael in the media).

Hours before attempting to cut her hand, Paris wrote: “Why are tears salty?” and also: “It seemed like the problems were far away, but now it feels like they’re here to stay.” These are lines from the famous Beatles song “Yesterday.” Her last tweet has been retweeted nearly 18,000 times.

Paris’s friends say she has been dealing with depression since her father’s death. Recently she couldn’t sleep and stayed awake until morning.

US Magazine wrote: “She misses her father terribly and shows her feelings through her behavior.”

That’s why she had difficulty in this year’s final term exams, which doubled her worries.

TheFIX, in an unconfirmed report, wrote that although Paris Jackson’s suicide shocked the world, some people close to Paris said they had been worried about her life since the beginning of this month. The outlet quotes a family friend saying Paris kept saying she wanted to join her father.

In April this year, in an interview with Event magazine, she said: “I have many memories of my father. He was an amazing father. We all loved him so much. He taught us discipline and order as much as he could, and he always took care of us. He protected us a lot.”

She also said that she feels so comfortable in front of the camera because their father had put them in front of cameras since they were children, so it was normal for them.

Paris also talked about the temple she had built in her room for her father. A wall completely covered with pictures of Michael. She also published a video showing the decoration of that wall. Paris said she destroyed the temple she had built for her father at her grandmother’s instruction. Seeing Michael’s photos was painful for Katherine, and she thought it would have a bad effect on Paris. Katherine told this teenage girl that her work was not normal because it could harm her mental health.

People magazine wrote that Paris had recently been struggling with depression, causing drama at home and self-harming.

People: “She misses her father terribly. She was at the center of Michael’s world, and now her life is completely different. She feels lonely and thinks no one loves her.”

The AEG trial is also underway, and Katherine’s lawyers are focusing on Michael’s dependence on painkillers and his condition during his death, which may have put a lot of pressure on Paris. Katherine has sued AEG on her own behalf and on behalf of Michael’s three children, but it’s unclear whether this was truly done at the children’s request or whether they were dragged into it unwillingly. It is said that Michael’s children were supposed to appear in court later this month to testify. The anxiety of the trial, along with the nasty things people say about Michael to Paris at school—such as Robson’s claims—have worn this teenager down.

Marvin Pontam, the company’s lawyer, said they never intended to bring Paris to court from the beginning. It was Katherine Jackson’s lawyers who brought up her name and her brothers as witnesses, and after experiencing their father’s death, they decided the children should also testify in court.

Before the trial began, Prince and Paris were questioned separately. Perry Sanders, Katherine’s lawyer, said these interrogations did not put pressure on Paris.

“No one forced her to do anything. I was with her on both days. She was calm. The questioning went well. Paris is a strong and good person.”

Before attempting suicide, Paris had asked her grandmother to allow her to take action, according to the law, to obtain a “release from domination” order. This law allows teenagers to become independent before turning 18. Paris’s request could indicate the kind of interference she felt was being imposed on her life.

During her father’s lifetime, Paris received endless attention and love. As a child, her father appointed her as the manager of the household. Paris supervised things, and according to Michael’s employees, she enjoyed her work and did it well.

Even though she has been surrounded by a large number of cousins since her father’s death, she still feels lonely.

Nothing is known about Paris’s mental state, but physically she has no problems. The judge ordered that the three of Michael’s children be interviewed separately and privately, and that Paris’s complete medical/psychological file be provided to the investigating officer.

This teenage girl resumed her relationship with her 54-year-old mother, Debbie Rowe, on April 3 of this year — the day of her birth.

Debbie married Michael in 1996 while she was six months pregnant with Prince. Debbie had known Michael since the mid-1980s. She was Michael’s friend and a medical assistant who treated him during the Dangerous tour. That year, Michael had undergone surgery on his head. Their first child, Prince, was born in February 1997, and Paris was born the following April. Debbie separated from Michael in 1999, and in 2001 she officially handed over custody of the children to their father. Michael paid her $8 million as part of a divorce settlement. With that money, Debbie Rowe bought a horse-breeding ranch in California, which has been a safe place for Paris for some time.

In a television interview with Martin Bashir, Debbie said she had given birth to Prince and Paris because Michael wanted to become a father:

“My children don’t call me ‘mom’ because that’s what I want. It’s not that they aren’t my children, but I gave birth to them because I wanted Michael to become a father. My children are with their father and it should be that way. I didn’t have children to become a mother.”

Debbie considered Michael an exemplary father and said that with a father like him, the children wouldn’t need their mother. Debbie was right, because over the years the kids had very few visits with their mother. Michael had kept photos of their childhood with their mother. Paris had no relationship with Debbie for years, but four years after her father’s death, she decided to get to know her mother more.

Because of this decision, Paris and Debbie faced a lot of chaos online. Debbie has been criticized for not being worthy to be with her children because she sold them for money, or because Paris’s mother would abuse her. Debbie, who strongly defends Prince and Paris online and even gets angry, wrote about recent events:

“Isn’t it enough to say that my family needs peace and privacy at this time? All the photographers gathered in front of my ranch—my young horse is still alive and trying to survive. But it doesn’t matter to you. You want to watch the next consequences of this destruction, but you won’t. And you who pretend online that I or my daughter are the ones—shame on you. You’re pathetic. And you who are waiting like vultures to attack my children again—go to hell, because they are bigger now than you ever hoped they would be.”

In an unconfirmed report, I-Online wrote that although Katherine Jackson reluctantly agreed to keep Paris near Debbie, Prince doesn’t understand his sister and is unhappy about it. This is what has caused distance between the siblings. Sources at the outlet said Paris has always believed that Prince would one day change his mind and follow her path.

Daily Mail, in a false report, said the reason Prince opposed meeting Debbie was because Michael had told Prince in his ear not to trust Debbie. This claim is completely untrue.

These claims have led opportunistic media to blame Prince for Paris’s attempt and to consider the conflict with his brother as one of the reasons for her suicide!

Last June, Paris wrote that she loves her mother because she loved her father (Michael). She also posted photos of them on her page: here.

The photos taken inside Debbie Rowe’s ranch show Paris as very happy and lively. For example, there is a photo of her with Debbie and Ashley, whom Debbie calls Paris’s sister. Ashley lost her mother a few years ago, and Debbie took over her guardianship afterward and allowed her to call Debbie “mom.”

What was said in the media...

It’s not surprising that Paris’s suicide attempt was widely covered on American television.

One day after Paris’s attempt, a panel discussion hosted by Jane Wells Mitchell and Dr. Judy Ho, psychologist, Gene Hager from RadarOnline, Jim Morey from Inside Edition, Mike Walters from TMZ, and Erin Jacobs, aired on HLN, where the following was said:

“Mitchell: The children of Michael Jackson, who lost their father, have been brought into the AEG case.

Dr. Judy Ho: They’ve been through crisis after crisis. They’re still very young, but they’re dealing with many difficulties. Having them swear and testify (in the AEG case) and relive past experiences is very worrying.

Mitchell: I’ve always admired Paris. Being the daughter of the King of Pop is hard, but she’s strong and she can handle it.

Mike Walters: The main issue is her mental state. She’s been hospitalized and a suicide note was found. They should look at that note and see what issues she was facing.

Dr. Ho: I believe her concerns are real and she doesn’t have a solution for them.

We’re talking about Michael’s decision to cover his children’s faces when they were kids. That was for their protection.

Mitchell: Paris is a beautiful girl. Michael made the right decision. He covered them and protected them—no one else does that for them now. Now that these kids are in public view, we can understand why Michael wanted to keep their identity hidden. It’s hard to see this because we all love Paris, and I’m a fan.

Jim Morey: She’s in a storm of emotions. She’s being harassed at school, she lost her father, and now the AEG court case is underway. She’s a high school student, and kids at school talk about Michael and painkiller use. That puts a lot of pressure on her.

Mitchell: I’m very angry. They have all this money. Why did they bring the AEG case? Why did Katherine sue? They’re still kids. They were dragged into this case, and the problem is that AEG wants to interrogate them. Katherine tried to limit the questions. Bringing them into this case from the beginning was wrong.

Jim Morey: Holding this trial was wrong. The kids are at the center of a crisis, and that’s not good for them.

Mitchell reads a statement from Kevin Boyle, Katherine’s lawyer, saying they shouldn’t blame Katherine’s lawyers: “There’s no pressure on Paris. It’s the company that puts pressure on her.”

Dr. Ho: This statement is defensive. They need to be a bit more responsible.

Mitchell: The Jackson family is after money. It’s all about money.

Jim Morey: Yes, and it’s not just testimony in court—Michael’s legacy is also at stake. Paris has gone to her mother. When her father died, it’s natural that she would want to be with her mother.

A clip of Debbie Rowe recorded in 2007 is shown: “My children don’t call me ‘mom’ because I don’t want them to. They are Michael’s children. I gave birth to them because I wanted him to be a father.”

Jim Morey: She’s only fifteen. Imagine it—people are jealous of her, they harass her at school, and her mother only had her because of her father.

Mitchell: They should leave Hollywood and live somewhere safe. Leave the boring world of Hollywood and get counseling. Paris’s attempt was a warning bell for her family. Paris, we’re behind you.”

Of course, the media isn’t always that kind!

Billy Bush, the host of Access Hollywood whose name is familiar to Michael fans—he hosted a Michael tribute segment at the Chinese cinema awards and also traveled to Ireland in 2007 to interview Michael—dedicated part of his Thursday show to Paris and expressed affection for her. He said he knows his daughter Paris and that Paris told him she is a kind girl and a talented artist. Billy went almost to tears on the show, but what we don’t know is whether he remembered that just a few days earlier he had caused Paris pain by talking about the lies of Vivid Robson. On that day, Billy had reported, quoting a so-called expert, that Robson tells the truth. What’s interesting is that the same people who were hurting Michael and his children and whose behavior upset this teenage girl are the same ones who later become kinder nannies than her mother. Media that spent years chasing Michael are now waiting to hunt his children.

Billy Bush and many others who said that Michael’s children would have a chance to experience a normal life without their father are now praising his caregiving methods, an example of which happened on the show with Jane Wells Mitchell. But even that will surely change again after some time, and the media will return to their first home.

In all this media chaos, Michael Jackson’s 2001 speech at Oxford University should not be forgotten:

“Friends, let me paint a picture for you. This is a typical day in America. Six children under twenty commit suicide. Twelve children under twenty die from gunshots. Remember, this is one day, not a year. 399 children are arrested for drugs. 1,352 children are born to teenage mothers. This is what happens in one of the richest and most developed countries in the history of the world.

Yes, violence is common in my country, and these statistics are not comparable to any other industrialized country. Young Americans express their distress and anger this way. But don’t think that such conditions don’t exist in Britain. Findings show that every hour in Britain, three teenagers self-harm—often by cutting their bodies or burning themselves or taking drugs. This is the method they choose to endure the pain of being ignored and their inner sorrows.”

Source: eMJey.com / FIX, USMagazine, USWeekly, TMZ, RadarOnline, DailyMail, eonline, Showbiz411 & People