Mississippi State women's basketball player Jessika Carter earlier this week detailed her experience with depression on social media, saying she was helped "out of a very dark space" after two attempts at taking her own life.
Carter said Tuesday in an Instagram post that she was placed in a "facility" after her second attempt on Nov. 26.
"The 2nd time that was supposed to be the final time," Carter said in her post. "I'm still here."
She said the first attempt happened on July 24, when she was hospitalized with liver damage after taking pills and cold and flu medicine.
"I don't believe in giving up but they day I decided to do just that," she posted. "It's pretty scary if you think about it but when you're in the moment you'll do anything to escape.
"After staying in the hospital for a week i thought i had it together. I promised i would never take life or anything for granted. That's was a lie. I hid my depression until i started making bad decisions. Many of you seen that no need to go into details. After that i lost myself. I felt as the world was against me and would never see the REAL Jessika."
Carter, a senior forward who was an All-SEC second-team selection after averaging 14.3 points and 8.7 rebounds during the 2020-21 season, was arrested in September on a simple assault charge for allegedly hitting a 19-year-old woman in the face on Aug. 28, according to records obtained by the Clarion Ledger. Mississippi State interim head coach Doug Novak said in October that Carter had taken "some time away" from the team to address "some personal matters" but is still with the program.
Novak, who hasn't coached Carter, praised her -- and others -- for the courage to address the topic of mental health.
"It was a courageous, powerful post that she made on Instagram and brought to light for everyone how serious mental health is," Novak, a former counselor, said Thursday. "I didn't get to know Jessika very well. She was already out of here by the time I got here, or dealing with some stuff.
"[Mental health is] a tough thing. I don't know if it's gotten worse over the years, or we're just dealing with it more and people are more willing to share the problems that they're having instead of hiding them. I'm just fortunate to be at a place that supports it."
After the second attempt on her own life, Carter said she was put in a facility to get help.
"I didn't hate it. I made friends there that i will cherish the rest of my life," she posted Tuesday. "You guys helped me get out of a very dark space. You showed me that people care. That i will always have people there even when they don't know me. I AM HAPPY. I AM BLESSED. AND I AM LOVED. Most importantly I AM HERE TO STAY. Check on y'all loved ones, fav players, etc.
"CHEERS to more life"