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(Video) Another Maia Campbell Video Surfaces, Psychologist Weighs In

A new video has surfaced showing former actress Maia Campbell rapping and speaking incoherently (see below). Last year, we posted a video that had been making the rounds online that showed the former actress behaving in ways that caused wide speculation that she was abusing drugs. Campbell’s family later confirmed that the actress suffers from mental illness and drug addiction. Shortly after they announced she had entered treatment.

Since then there have been reports online that the star was in rehab and doing better. One website posted that the former actress was plotting her return to show business and was close to inking a deal for a new reality show that was supposed to chronicle her battle with mental illness.

After seeing this most recent video, we reached out again to LA based licensed psychologist, Dr. De Thigpen, to get her take on what may have caused Maia’s relapse, her road to recovery, and the toll her mother’s death may have had on her.

While Dr. Thigpen has not treated Campbell, she was able to shed further light on the lifelong struggle the actress faces:

“Once you’re addicted you’re always an addict. Drug and alcohol dependency is a lifelong battle. That’s why they tell addicts you have to take one day at a time. It’s an even more difficult battle when you are addicted to a substance and you are suffering from mental illness. Someone who is already an addict is already powerless and when you add in the element of mental illness, it’s a no win situation without constant support, medication management, and structure.”

It is not uncommon for someone like Maia who suffers from mental illness to also have issues with substance abuse. According to NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), approximately 50% of those suffering from severe mental illness are affected by substance abuse and 53% of the mentally ill abuse drugs.

Dr. Thigpen says that her chances for sobriety and stability may depend on how she came to get help:

“Without knowing her and her specific situation, but after viewing the video, she appears to exhibit some volatile tendencies which may be indicative of the severity of her mental illness which may make it harder for her to know that she needs help.”

Maia Campbell’s mother is the late author, BeBe Moore Campbell, whose book ’72 Hour Hold’, was believed to be about her experiences caring for Maia. After hearing the former actress reference her mother’s death in the video, we asked Dr. Thigpen what impact that loss may have had on Maia:

“Any child losing their parent so young is going to be affected by it. When you add on the layer of mental illness the impact can be quite severe. When her mom was alive, she was likely the glue that kept Maia together for the most part. She probably knew on some level that she had her mom’s unconditional love and support and I’m sure she misses that.”

After watching both videos, it’s hard not to wonder how aware Maia may be that she’s being taped and made fun of and why she doesn’t just walk away:

“….she knows that the camera is there and she knows that people are watching her, even making fun of her. There appears to be a battle going on inside of her and she can’t help herself and doesn’t have the wherewithal to get out of the situation and just walk away.”

And, if she is able to get help again, Dr. Thigpen says the road to a complete recovery is not an easy one:

“We don’t know what kind of rehab she was in. Just treating the drug addiction isn’t going to make the mental illness go away. You have to treat them both concurrently and something [treatment] that’s personalized and long term. To remain stable, people with that dual diagnosis often need to be on medication for the rest of their lives.”

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