Jae of DAY6 on Panic Assaults, Treatment, & Psychological Well being in Ok-Pop | Interview

One other false impression we each had: Psychological well being medicine is a magic tablet. When you’re on it, you are mounted. In his expertise, “It simply ranges issues off,” Jae says. “You are by no means too unhappy. No tremendous highs, no tremendous lows, and also you form of get the center of every thing. It actually sucks when the lows hit, however I choose this.” 

Jae nonetheless would not really feel like he is absolutely stabilized but, both. “I have not gotten tremendous higher,” he says. “I am on this standoff the place generally, I am having a great day, generally having a nasty day. It goes forwards and backwards.” And that is utterly regular. 

What triggers Jae’s panic assaults can be nonetheless a thriller to him. “They arrive and go as they please,” he says. “It fascinates me in addition to pisses me off as a result of I actually like being in management.” 

Going Public 

Nearly every week after JYP’s official announcement about DAY6’s hiatus, Jae shared on his personal Twitter account that he was beginning to really feel higher, ending hypothesis of which members have been actually specializing in their psychological well being. From there, Jae began speaking increasingly about his restoration on his social media platforms, together with Twitch  — not solely to unfold psychological well being consciousness however to additionally maintain himself accountable. 

“Avoiding your private psychological issues is the quickest option to destroy your self, bodily and mentally,” Jae says. “Coming to phrases with that can be congruent to being publicly open about how you’re as an individual. If you’re sincere and you may present different individuals precisely who you’re, then meaning you don’t have any drawback being who you’re. For me, it was simply that — telling myself, ‘Hey, you aren’t OK and also you need assistance.’ That was the large factor for me.” 

At first, Jae was scared to share his struggles with followers. When worrying about individuals pondering it was a publicity stunt, he reminded himself of the info at hand: “I knew I used to be truly going via it,” he explains. “It wasn’t a self-diagnosis. I assumed I used to be going to die. I am taking meds. I am beginning to really feel higher. It has been clinically identified.”

After all, Jae’s profession got here into play when contemplating going public along with his psychological well being points, too. Though my interview with Jae feels extra like a heart-to-heart with an outdated good friend at instances and he isn’t adorned in make-up and fancy garments, he is a Ok-pop star. He is signed to one of many largest leisure companies in Seoul, has 1.four million Instagram followers to his name (3.6 million, if you add on DAY6’s). 

Part of Jae’s job description is sustaining a standard of perfection and presenting a pristine image to the world. Even in interviews, I’ve watched as idols try to uphold it with rehearsed answers to my questions, devoid of emotions. “We are kind of stuck in a place where we’re not really supposed to have an opinion, but then have an opinion at the same time, seem human but inhuman, almost like godly figures,” Jae explains.