Twitch streamer Ohlana has passed away from a reported suicide at age 26, after posting that “depressed people struggle to reach out” for fear of being confined against their own will by authorities.
The streamer, who went live on Twitch just days before her passing in a stream titled ‘need sum luv :'(,’ posted several tweets prior to her death about her mental health struggles.
In one tweet, she noted how depressed people find it difficult to get the help they need as a result of authorities showing up “and forcefully [confining] them against their will.” Ohlana said that this led to them “feeling alone with their dark thoughts because they don’t want to be trapped where they just feel worse.”
depressed ppl struggle to reach out in fear the ones closest to them will have cops show up and forcefully confine them against their will. so they’re stuck feeling alone with their dark thoughts because they don’t want to be trapped where they just feel worse.
— ohlana (@_ohlana) July 6, 2020
In a later tweet, Ohlana posted: “It’s not anybody’s fault.”
it’s not anybody’s fault
— ohlana (@_ohlana) July 6, 2020
In an Instagram story posted on July 6 (via Dexerto), Ohlana shared a post titled ‘The Next Chapter’ in which she told her followers: “Thank you for everything. Take care of yourselves. And I say this cheesy quote so often it might annoy peeps… but if you can’t seem to find a kind person, be one.”
Ohlana’s death comes during a time when many streamers are attempting to raise awareness of mental health issues. Last week, popular Twitch streamer Reckful died from suicide at age 31. This led to Twitch personalities such as Alinity discussing about the negative impact the profession can have on streamers’ mental health, resulting in changes being made to the popular Twitch drama subreddit r/LivestreamFail.
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide or self-harm, please reach out for help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (USA): 1-800-273-8255
Samaritans (UK): 116 123