Jax Taylor is opening up about what he’s learned regarding his mental health after spending a month in an inpatient treatment facility. The Vanderpump Rules alum, 45, shared on Instagram on Monday, August 2, that he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and PTSD. He acknowledged that coming to terms with his diagnosis has been an emotional journey.
“A little over a month ago, I checked into an intensive inpatient treatment facility, scared of the unknown and what I would find out about myself,” Taylor wrote in the post’s caption, alongside a black-and-white picture of him reading. “After many years of knowing something was wrong but not knowing exactly what it was, I recently learned that I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and PTSD,” he revealed.
Although processing the information about his mental health was overwhelming, the reality star shared that the realization brought him a “newfound sense of peace” when he returned to his son. Acknowledging that his diagnosis has him scared for the future, Taylor voiced that his focus for now would be on being a better version of himself.
“Mental health is a lifelong battle of not letting it control you but rather you learning to control it,” he noted, before wrapping up his message by thanking those who reached out to share their own struggles with mental health.
It was reported by TMZ on Tuesday, August 20, that Taylor had completed a 30-day stay in a mental health treatment facility.
Taylor’s decision to seek help for his issues came at a particularly sensitive time for his family, as his wife of four years, Brittany Cartwright, filed for divorce on August 27, nearly six months after “taking time apart,” according to court documents reviewed by People. The papers listed the couple’s date of separation as January 24 and cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their split.
Cartwright requested legal and physical custody of their 3-year-old son, Cruz Michael Cauchi, in her filing per the publication, but requested that the court grant Taylor visitation rights. She also asked the court to terminate spousal support entitlements for both parties.
Taylor and Cartwright’s romance was documented on Vanderpump Rules as well as on its spinoff shows Jax & Brittany Take Kentucky and The Valley. For those who aren’t fans of reality TV, the duo met in Vegas in 2015 and got married in June 2019. They welcomed their son in April 2021.
In August 2023, the pair expressed hopes to expand their family, with Taylor saying he wants at least one more child. He, however, also acknowledged that both he and Cartwright were extremely busy for it at the time.
Season 1 of The Valley, which premiered this past March, depicted the couple undergoing a significant rough patch, with Cartwright expressing frustration over the fact that Taylor hadn’t started trying for a second baby.
He, per a People source, will return to shoot the second season of the reality series, which is also said to feature VPR alum Kristen Doute and newcomers Luke Broderick, Jesse Lally, Danny Booko, Nia Booko, Michelle Lally, Jason Caperna, and Janet Caperna.
Brittany, however, isn’t interested in having anything to do with him, according to the source.
