Content warning: the following article contains sensitive references to suicide and mental health.

“Raise your hand if you’ve ever been called crazy or hysterical?” Meghan Markle asks at the beginning of the latest episode of her Spotify podcast, Archetypes. “Or what about nuts? Insane, out of your mind, completely irrational?” she continues, before adding: “By the way, me too.”

In an episode released today (11 October) titled The Decoding Of Crazy, Meghan is joined by actor Constance Wu and activist and Bollywood star Deepika Padukone to discuss the harmful impact labels like “mad” and “hysterical” can have on women and how they place the credibility of their emotions and experiences in jeopardy.

“When you consider just how prevalent these labels are in our culture, it can feel like we choose to be crazy,” the podcast explains. “That this is an active choice. But the thing is that a girl is allowed to be crazy as long as she’s equally hot.”

Unpicking the history of the term “hysterical”, Meghan recites that it comes from the Greek word for ‘womb’. “Plato himself was actually among the Greek philosophers who believed that the womb would travel around the body adding pressure to other organs, which would then lead to erratic and unreliable behaviour.”

“It is a definition created by a man,” she adds. “It is a definition meant to shame and limit a certain type of experience. And that experience is just the emotional experience of feeling scared, sad, angry, stressed, jealous, surprised, worried, insecure.

“Calling someone crazy or hysterical completely dismisses their experience.”

Throughout the episode, the Duchess opens up about how strongly she feels about the word ‘crazy’, how it’s used and how it has personally affected her.

“It also has this silencing effect where women experiencing real mental health issues get scared, stay quiet, internalise and repress for far too long,” she says.

Meghan, who has been open about her own struggles with mental health, later spoke to actor Constance Wu, who earlier this year revealed that she had attempted suicide after being trolled online. Wu also revealed last week that she had experienced sexual assault and harassment multiple times throughout her life and career, alleging that a producer on her hit show Fresh Off The Boat had “sexually harassed” and “intimidated and threatened” her “a lot”.

“My book is called Making A Scene because I think you’re taught that ladies don’t make scenes,” Wu shares, “or if you make a scene you’re crazy and should be stayed away from.”

“Really the craziest thing in the world would be to keep all of that inside,” Meghan responds. “I’ve had my own version where I would love to cry this much but I’m conditioned to still have some kind of composure.”

Turning to guest Deepika Padukone, the podcast reflects on the lasting impact of mental health struggles.

“I woke up one morning and everything was going well: my films were a success, I had a beautiful relationship, a supportive family but it just sort of came out of the blue,” Padukone recalls of her own breakdown in 2014. “I woke up and felt my blood pressure drop and then the next thing I knew my life just felt meaningless. I didn’t want to live anymore, you know. I just didn’t want to get out of bed and I struggled with this for many, many months.”

After this, Padukone says she sought help for many years, but that the experience is one that will stay with her forever. “There’s not a single day that goes by without me thinking about my mental health. Every part of my life today is to ensure that I don’t go back into that dark place again.”

If you, or someone you know, is struggling with their mental health or wellbeing, you can find support and resources on the mental health charity Mind’s website and NHS Every Mind Matters or access the NHS’ guide to local mental health helplines and organisations here.

If you are struggling, you can also ask your GP for a referral to NHS Talking Therapies, or you can self-refer.

You can also call the Samaritans in the UK on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org for confidential support.

Images: Getty