Watching the interview, Gaylor noted several struggles that appeared to have fuelled Markle's suicidal ideation: loneliness, losing coping mechanisms such as time with friends or family outside the royal family, and a disconnect between the person Markle knew she was (a strong, outspoken, independent advocate for women's rights) and her silent, isolated reality.
"Whenever we're not being consistent with who we are at our core, whenever there's a dissonance between who we're presenting as and who we truly feel we are, that's going to lead to a level of emotional distress," Gaylor told POPSUGAR. "When she mentioned that 'I advocate for women's rights and I have felt silenced' . . . that emotional distress is the criteria for all mental health diagnoses, and that comes when we're not able to consistently present outwardly who we are inwardly."
Depression is like a dark tunnel, Gaylor said. On the outside, "it could be the most beautiful, sunshiney day," she explained. But on the inside, the tunnel is "long and it's uncertain. You may not know or be able to see the end to that darkness." That metaphor couldn't be more apt for Markle's situation. Sure, she was a famous duchess, a successful actress; sure, she had a husband who loved her. But when you're stuck in an endless tunnel, it doesn't matter how bright the sun is outside — you start to forget it's even there.