Korn founding member Brian Welch recently shared details about his struggles with depression and explained how it led him to open a mental health center.
Welch founded Atlantic Behavioral Health earlier this month. The center provides intensive outpatient treatment to patients in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. In an Instagram video, the guitarist opened up about the personal journey that led to the project.
“I felt the depression, kind of like a dark cloud over me from day one,” he said. “And I was like, ‘What’s wrong with me? What is this? I have multiplatinum records. I’m on TV every day…What do I have to be depressed about? I just couldn’t put my finger on it, and it just got worse and worse as the years went by.”
Welch explained that he went to a psychiatrist when he was in the thick of his depression. But he struggled to connect with him because he felt like the doctor “was so smart and so schooled,” that it wasn’t “real” or at Welch’s “level,” so he couldn’t relate to him.
“He had all the book answers,” he continued. “But in the meantime, I didn’t have a group, I didn’t have a community. I wish I’d had a program like Atlantic back then because you have that scholarly wisdom, but also conversations with peers that are going through similar things as you.”
Brian Welch Says Facility Provides a ‘Unique Way’ to Heal
Brian Welch opened Atlantic to fill that void in others. The center uses individual therapy, group therapy, and medication management to help those suffering from depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders.
Welch said his center still offers that “scholarly wisdom,” but it meshes it with the opportunity to talk to people who are dealing with similar issues. He explained that overall, it’s a “unique way” to go through the “healing.”
“It’s gonna be amazing,” he concluded.
In a statement to Variety, Welch shared that he’ll never forget the “depths of the dark energy” that lived in his mind when we went through his battle. And he hopes to save others from the same despair.
“Partnering with Atlantic is so personal to me and not just another business to invest in,” he said. “I know what it feels like to live at the bottom of a dark pit, but I also know if you put in the work, the light will come back on, and Atlantic is going to help so many people find that light switch,” he continued. “With the exception of a few bumps in the road, over the last 20 years, I have been the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. I believe if I can completely change the trajectory of my mental and emotional health, anyone can! Atlantic can be such a precious tool in helping people to achieve just that.”