Social Media Is A Dual Tool For Fighting Against Mental Illness -Kim Kardashian

The reality star and the mother of one, Kim Kardashian see social media as a dual tool for fighting against mental illness..

The star made the comment in a Facebook chat on Thursday, in support of her latest project, "Red Flag."

Via GossipCop:

The HLN special, which premiered earlier this week timed to "Mental Health Awareness Month," is a documentary Kardashian executive produced that "focuses on mental illness among young adults and the power of social media to help them." It was previously said that Kardashian "conceived of the documentary in an effort to raise awareness about mental illness among her millennial generation and was inspired by watching the struggles of people she loved." But the reality star gave further insight when answering fan questions on Facebook.

Asked specifically why she chose to get involved in such a topic, Kardashian revealed, "I was interested in bringing awareness to the issue when I recently had a friend that was going through the similar situation," and even "lashing out on social media." The incident led her to realize, "If one of my friends is going through this, other people must be too."

Kardashian sees social media as a dual tool in the fight against mental illness. "I think it can help family and friends monitor [people who are suffering] and it can be therapeutic to freely write about your feelings," she explained. "Sometimes people reveal warning signs on social media. You can see when a friend is in need."

"It's important for people to know it's okay to talk about what they're going through and to not be ashamed to ask help," Kardashian wrote to one commenter. She told another, "I don't think enough people are talking about mental illness. More people than you can imagine suffer from it. I hope people can learn how to help a friend in need through 'Red Flag.'"

Many people praised Kardashian for championing the cause, while a number of haters wrote comments slamming her. Some also asked personal questions about her stepdad Bruce Jenner, as well as her brother Rob Kardashian, who is said to be struggling with his own mental health issues. Not surprisingly, the "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star did not respond to those messages.

Kardashian also participated in a Google Hangout on Wednesday, in which she said, "I have experienced so many friends who have suffered from depression and other mental illnesses. And because I've never experienced it, I don't understand it. I wanted to really inform myself because it's not just something that you can snap out of." She noted, "I just started to see too many people around me suffer, and I couldn't give them advice for where they should go to get help."

Kardashian added, "It's something that I feel is a little bit taboo. I also think it's hard for people to admit they have a mental illness and I want them to know it's okay. And there is help available." See video below, and tell us what you think of the issue.