Influencer Taylor Frankie Paul is pushing back on speculation and criticism surrounding her recent stay at a treatment facility. She described the experience as a voluntary step to “reset” her mental health. Additionally, she urged others not to be afraid to seek support.
In a series of Instagram Stories posted on July 5, the “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star told followers she chose to enter a facility. She made this choice after recognizing she needed time away to stabilize and decompress.
“Yes, I seeked help at a facility,” Paul wrote over one video, adding that she did not feel she owed an explanation but wanted to share about her life “from my mouth”.
Voluntary Treatment as a ‘Reset’
Paul framed the stay as a proactive choice rather than a last resort. She said she knew she had reached a point where she needed to pause and reassess.
“I knew that I was in a spot to take a step back and be like, ‘OK, we need a reset,’” she said in the videos.
She also pushed back on assumptions that treatment programs are used only for addiction.
“Facilities are not for just substance,” Paul said. “There are a list of reasons why people go into that. Number one priority was just a reset for my mental health and to get away, decompress, whether it’s one day, whether it’s seven, whether it’s 30. I willingly did that.”
Her comments came weeks after multiple outlets reported that she had voluntarily checked into a treatment facility. In June, a source told People that Paul’s stay had been recommended by her doctor and that she was “committed to getting better.” Another source told the magazine that those close to her wanted her to focus on her well-being.
A separate source told Us Weekly that Paul had completed the program. According to that account, she “checked in for a voluntary stay,” was later “cleared and departed,” and was concentrating on “doing the work on her mental health and being a good mom.”
A Call to End the Stigma
While Paul said she did not intend her posts to knock down specific rumors, she acknowledged that news of her stay had drawn criticism. She said that the reaction cut deeply.
“It kind of bums me out that it was kind of weaponized against me, actually doing the right thing of noticing I needed extra help,” she said.
Her frustration illustrates a tension that many public figures face when they seek treatment. The same transparency that can reduce stigma can also expose them to scrutiny from audiences, critics, and even people in their personal lives.
In another message, Paul used her platform to encourage others not to internalize that stigma.
“There is absolutely nothing wrong with noticing you need extra support and seeking it,” she wrote.
By emphasizing that she entered the facility “willingly” and on the advice of a doctor, and by sharing that she views the stay as an act of responsibility rather than failure, Paul presented treatment as a form of self-care and accountability.
New Treatment Tools, Her Own Timeline
During her stay, Paul said she worked with professionals to adjust her medical treatment. Additionally, she discovered an antidepressant that appears to be helping.
“I ended up finding a really good antidepressant that has been working for me,” she told followers.
She added that she intends to share more details about the medication in the future. However, she wants to wait until she has lived with it long enough to feel confident talking about her experience.
“I will share the meds eventually,” she said. “However, I like to trial and error before I talk about them because it takes a while to set in, and I would hate to be recommending something that I don’t even like myself.”
Her comments reflect a careful line between openness and responsibility. While many influencers discuss mental health and medication online, Paul signaled that she does not want to promote a specific prescription before she has fully evaluated how it affects her.
Privacy, Publicity, and Cutting the Cameras
Although Paul built a public persona around sharing her life, she said she had hoped her time in treatment would remain private.
“This was one thing I wanted to keep private, which I feel like I was entitled to,” she said.
She added that “mental health in private rooms should remain private, and I don’t think everyone should have access to that.”
Her experience echoes the way many individuals, not just public figures, wrestle with how much to share about diagnoses, medications, and hospitalizations. Especially when those disclosures can affect family relationships, employment, or legal disputes.
Defending Her Decision to Seek Help
Paul’s decision to seek treatment has unfolded against a complicated personal and legal backdrop.
Paul’s decision to seek treatment has come during a challenging period in her personal life. She is currently involved in an ongoing custody dispute with ex-partner Dakota Mortensen over their 2-year-old son, Ever. The former couple has also filed protective orders against one another following a February domestic incident. As a result, following reports of the incident, ABC later chose not to air Paul’s season of “The Bachelorette” that had already been filmed.
Sources who spoke to People and Us Weekly described Paul as focused on “doing the work” with her mental health professionals and on her role as a mother. One source told Us Weekly that “her priority remains doing the work on her mental health and being a good mom.”
Paul’s final message in her series of posts was clear. Recognizing that something is wrong and asking for help is not a sign of failure. Instead, it is an act of acknowledgment and, for her, the first step toward the reset she believes she needs.
