Kate Gosselin is finally breaking her silence over the tension in her family.
In a statement to People, the “Jon & Kate Plus 8” star claimed her son Collin received inpatient psychiatric treatment in the past for “unpredictable and violent behavior.”
“I have never wanted to have to do this, but I feel I have been backed into a corner and left with no choice. Although it saddens me to do so, I need to speak out now,” she wrote. “My son Collin, whom I love with all my heart, has received multiple psychiatric diagnoses over the years. For the safety of myself, his brothers and sisters and for his own well-being, he was placed in a facility following years of outpatient treatment which proved insufficient for his needs.”
The family drama began when Collin and Jon spoke on the Vice documentary “Dark Side of the 2000s”, where the father of eight claimed he had “no idea” why he was estranged from six of his eight kids. Collin, who lives with his sister Hannah and Jon, said he was similarly estranged from the family after Kate institutionalized him in 2016, claiming she was keeping him from the rest of his siblings, via Page Six. His father has contested in the past that Collin has “never been diagnosed with any known medical condition” other than ADHD, and removed him from the facility in 2018.
After the documentary aired, Mady Gosselin came out with a statement, alleging she been “overwhelmed by hate messages” after its release and that she did not owe her “allegiance” to any person who allegedly “physically threatened [her] and every member of [her] immediate family (some incidents as recent as last year).”
She continued, “I will never allow someone who has exhibited hateful and even violent behavior toward others … in my life, and I refuse to compromise for ANYONE, even my brother Collin.”
Kate detailed some of this “violent behaviour” in her statement as she wrote, “The decision to admit him was made by emergency room doctors following one of his many attacks/outbursts — this one involving his use of a weapon. Fast forward to the present day, and following Jon’s removal of Collin from treatment, my son’s unpredictable and violent behavior has sadly continued regularly towards Jon, Hannah and others around him.”
The mother attributed his behaviour to a “distorted perception of reality”.
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“Collin’s distorted perception of reality is one of the many issues that he has always struggled with. As many people who have family members grappling with mental health issues can attest, it is rarely and sadly surprising when complete fabrications occur, and this is just another heartbreaking facet of this fight,” she continued. “All parent-child relationships are complex, but when mental illness is involved, it is incredibly complicated and painful, let alone easy for others on the outside to understand.”
As for being cut-off from the rest of his family, she said this was a measure to protect the rest of their children.
“Unfortunately, I believe Collin remains a very troubled young man who continues to need a lot of help. His brothers and sisters and I have not been directly involved in his life due to his history of unpredictable behavior and violent tendencies towards us. What his sister Mady posted on social media recently is completely accurate and I deeply appreciate her bravery in doing so,” wrote Kate.