Sadly, among the 90-some-odd people who committed suicide in America on Friday, October 11, 2013, MasterChef contestant Josh Marks was among them.
People who watched the television show may remember Josh as someone who was known as a “gentle giant.” Josh, 26 and 7’2″, was known by his friends and family as someone who was kind, well-loved and thoughtful.
But the same month he lost to someone else on the final episode of MasterChef in 2012, he was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder. And just last week, he was given yet another diagnosis — schizophrenia.
After struggling with poor treatment options, the stress of the TV show, and the brand-new diagnosis, it apparently was too much for Josh to bear any longer.
Apparently, after losing to Christina Ha in the final round of MasterChef in September 2012, things quickly went south for Josh Marks’ mental health:
“But, behind that huge smile, Josh was in the battle of his life fighting mental illness,” a family statement said. “It was extremely tough, but Josh was always positive, focused on his faith in God and determined to win; pushing forward through his illness to follow his passion for cooking and dream of being a renowned chef.”
That battle apparently began just as Marks was achieving celebrity status on television. “I hadn’t noticed any signs of anything wrong or any mental illness until after Josh completed filming ‘MasterChef,'” his mother said. “The time he was away filming was extremely stressful on him.”
According to news reports, Josh suffered from a breakdown this past summer that led to his arrest by Chicago police. He told police that he had been possessed by MasterChef judge Gordon Ramsay. He scuffled with police during that incident, which led to them taking Marks into custody and filing charges against him.
Some might argue this is yet another example of the police being insensitive to the mental health concerns of people they’re dealing with. Instead of being sent to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, he was sent to prison, and placed within the general prison population.
Despite his rambling delusions, he received no mental health treatment nor evaluation while in prison.
The sad story continues, because after his mom bailed him out of prison, she tried to find an inpatient psychiatric treatment program that the family could afford. But apparently, nobody would take him:
“After this, Josh was determined to get well,” his mother said.
Paulette Mitchell [Josh’s mom] “continually ran into roadblocks” as she put her focus into finding help for her son, Butler said. “Access to long-term, in-patient mental health care is extremely limited. How can you appropriately treat your loved one’s mental health challenges if access to necessary care is virtually non-existent?”
She “felt as if her hands were tied” but “she was doing everything she could to get him in treatment,” [the family lawyer] said. Mitchell enrolled her son in an outpatient program that was “the best available through insurance,” she said.
They did find an outpatient program for Josh while continuing to explore other treatment options. But that program ended last Thursday, with a doctor apparently casually informing Marks that he believed he was suffering from schizophrenia.
Perhaps not the best time to lay a new diagnosis on a patient, ya know? — when you’re discharging them from treatment.
“That’s not what I am, that’s not what I am,” he told his mother, the lawyer said.
“He was very distraught by this new diagnosis,” his mother said. “He was just coming to terms with having been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but he just couldn’t handle this new diagnosis.”
And this new diagnosis is apparently the final straw that led him to gain access to a gun (not hard here in America), walk down a back alley in their Chicago neighborhood, and put a bullet though his head.
If there’s one silver lining to this tragic series of events, it’s that the family is now dedicated to trying to ensure this happens to a few less people each year:
Mitchell is determined to set up a foundation in her son’s memory to help people with mental illness to address the same issues as Marks.
“I am not done, this is not over,” she said. “I am going to make sure that Josh’s voice and dream live on by fighting for mental healthcare treatment.”
We’ll stay tuned and let you know about the foundation once it’s up and running.
Read the full article: 'MasterChef's' Josh Marks loses 'battle of his life,' commits suicide
43 comments
RIP for Marks and condolances to his mother. I also struggle with finding treatment. Currently I’m not in treatment and I haven’t been for 3 of the 4 years since my diagnosis (partial diagnosis due to lack of treatment,) of bipolar NOS. My hope was that in 2014 with the healthcare reform I could finally find proper treatment and seek out a neuropsychologist to help me with my cognitive concerns which have only become worse over the past 2 years. But now, it turns out my state’s reform can’t help me, and I’m stuck with the insurance plan through my work which has a very high deductable that I can’t afford to meet.
Our country fails us all. Maybe national plans aren’t perfect but it’s better than the corporate run money driven lack of care in the US.
Affordable health care (Obama care) will help you and and many people if it is not repealed by the politics of the Republican Party. AFHC will help by requiring the insurance carriers to treat every illness the same.
My heart goes out to Josh’s family.
It is disgusting the way our jails neglect and ignore the mentally ill.
Josh suffered a mental breakdown and was taken to jail, and never even
seen by a doctor during the time he spent there.
It’s even worse than you can imagine, even those that do have treatment it’s very superficial. Most are placed on some type of medication as a way of dealing with them. I have personally seen the results of this within the Texas Prison system.
My deepest condolences to his family. We lost our son Ray (29 years old) also on October 11th, but in 2003. So, it was 10 years last Friday. He also suffered from bipolar disorder (untreated).
Our thoughts and prayers are with him and you. Don’t give up the fight – do what you plan to do to make a difference. We got involved with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Out of the Darkness Walks. Our walk this year was Saturday, October 12th. We (my husband and I) raised just under $2000 this year (the most since we started walking 7 years ago). Hopefully, we can make a difference. We’ve lost too many. Please know you are not alone – go to AFSP.org
Again, we are so very sorry for your loss and the pain you are in.
Thanks for your condolences. Today I went to the International Suicide Survivors Day in Chicago. Next year I plan to get a team together to walk in Joshua’s memory.
Have we gotten to that point in psychology where a professional tells someone they have a problem and then casually sends them away to deal with it on their own?
Having suicidal ideations and cyclical depression since I was teenager(I’m now 63)which became treatment resistant ultradian cycling/mixed state bipolar at 40, my heart breaks when I hear of someone taking their life. And yes, even with insurance, access to good care isn’t a given. Psychiatrists and outpatient clinics are turning away new patients or putting them on waiting lists.
I can’t say that a time won’t come when I’ve had enough. It’s easier to let go than keep fighting.
To intergalactictraveler: Even though I know it’s ridiculous to tell someone who is suffering that much and for that long to not give up, I am compelled to anyway. I hope you can find the strength to keep going, and know that someone somewhere wishes you wellness and peace of heart and mind!
My heart goes out to you and your words really touched my heart. I know it is a struggle dealing with everything but I have to tell you as someone who has been through a lot and dealt with depression I must tell you that you to keep persevering and never give up. There is so much to be thankful for, sometimes
you just have to start with being thankful for the small things in life and be grateful to wake up and be living. My prayers are with you.
How incredibly sad. I watched Josh on MasterChef and was pulling for him to win. Unfortunately, he was paired with a phenomenal woman whose handicap pretty much sealed her win. He was so cheerful and seemingly liked by all the contestants. What a waste of a beautiful person. My heart goes out to his mom and other loved ones.
May Josh’s family find all the comfort they can from each other and the many who have been through this same sad tragedy. I struggle with Bipolar and major depression, treatment facilities will only keep you a week and provide little care. The system is overwhelmed and underfunded. It is not a political issue – it is the state of our society. We are suffering and it becomes wearisome — that is when we decide: enough.
Josh was a gentle giant who didn’t deserve to be placed in the prison system. But, please realize that our police personnel haven’t the training to discern the mental state of someone.
I am so sorry to hear this- THE MD should be disbarred- prevented from doing this to others!
It happens oftener than one thinks-
I am in the same boat- but my son (so far) is NOT a danger to himself. If off of the meds- there is no telling what his mind tells him is normal!
If on meds, he is almost normal- ALMOST
Most of his friends dont know- unless told- and his room mates are TOLD so they can keep an eye on him, remind him to take his meds-
All meds are not created equal and the HIPAA is a joke
Continuum of care is MOST IMPORTANT! Including the family- and having housing- inpatient or outpatient- no one wants to talk to the families who are supposed to be a life line.
I hope his mom is comforted- somehow- that she did the best with what she had to work with- I am saddened for her- I would also like to offer any help! Sally in New Orleans- sallygator at aol
My condolences to Josh’s family. I lost my mother the same way.
I, too, have been picked up by police, probably in the same mental state as Josh. REGARDLESS of whether anyone in psychosis is combative, a psych evaluation should be a matter of course. While reading this story, I wondered if race and gender played a role in how poorly Josh was treated.
Let’s not overlook the opening line: “Among the 90-some odd people who committed suicide on Friday…” tragedy on a scale that’s hard for me to comprehend.
You are bringing race into this? For once-ever- can it just be a terrible thing! It happens to white people too. Stop using it as excuse because it’s horrible what happened- our system failed him and has failed white people too. He was such a nice, talented young man- his race is irrelevant. I don’t think in colors and everytime someone does- it bothers me. Who cares what color he was? He was suffering and this idiotic dr. should be held accountable.
This is a tragic story. As I watched the master chef junior competition, when they dismissed ‘one’ of the eliminations, such a young kid, you could see the disappointment….when he ran to his Mom for comfort…..it’s a brutal show…..self worth is never measured by outward success in term’s of someone else’s judgment……feel so sad for this family…
I have bipolar and right now things feel so bad.I can understand why this poor man felt suicide as his best option.That is the place Im standing in at the moment.I feel so sad for his family.Luckily I have no family.
Gordon,
Please hang in there! Bi-polar here too and was in that way too dark place 2 weeks ago. I’ve got my levels of darkness…it got way scary. I either slept or just vegged out to Tom & Jerry cartoons, seriously. Whatever it was gonna take to make it through.
MATTER FOR YOU…YOU MATTER!
In our darkest hour, we truly believe that life is not for us anymore, because of emotional/physical pain of this life is unbearable.
And ending it will release us from such suffering.
No One knows how everyday battles wear us down to the point where we want not to give up but to know when the time for surrender seems logical/rational.
To prevent these internal dialogs one has to reach out and find a supportive voice, there are many.
IMO energy carries on, what you have here, will continue, until the lesions are learned.
Gordon,Sharon is right.I pray for you,too.Although you don’t have a family I’m sure that there are people that love you and that would be sad to not have you anymore.I don’t want to underestimate your problem, but it’s not worth committing suicide…I’m sure that also if you have bipolar you can do a lot of things,as well as other people…together with bad things you would lose a lot of good things.Don’t give up! Hugs
Gordon I am sorry to hear that you don’t have the support of family but just know that whether you realize it or not you have some purpose here in this life. I can definitely relate with you because I know life can be tough but keep your head up high and know that there is someone out there who is praying for you and wishing the best for you.
My condolences to Josh’s loved ones and others who are suffering with mental illness.
Gordon: Please know that somebody out there DOES care and is sending out prayers that you may find some relief and realize your own value. Love & healing to you….
I was a fan and a follower of Josh’s. When the media broke the news of his arrest, even without personally knowing him, I knew in my heart that this was out of his character. Like everyone, I prayed that Josh would receive the help that he needed – not incarceration. When i learned that he had taken his life, I felt besides myself with grief, as well as angry with a mental health system that keeps failing. I too have bi-polar disorder, as well as PTSD and have struggled with depression since I was a teen. I am 46 now and a single Mom of a teen. I am on Disability for my disorders and you would think that I would be taking care of…I am not. I cannot afford my co-pays to see my doctors. I do not qualify for assistance because they say my SSD along with my child’s is “too much”, however we barely make it month to month. Social Service programs won’t help that do offer “sliding scales, etc” because I have insurance. So you have people out here with mental illnesses asking…begging for help and there is no where, no way, no how to get it. And I say, as I know, it is not an easy thing to reach out, especially when you have a child and fear that you will have your child taken away from you just because you are mentally ill and, God forbid, needing help. I lost a child in 2005… delivered a stillborn, daughter Sarah, at 8 1/2 months pregnant. The pain was so great, unbearable, so indescribable…something I knew I would wish upon anyone.. I feel that same way about mental illness. I thank God for a lot in my life…I wish I did not have the depression I have making every day a challenge. Finding something, anything..even if it is the littlest or the stupidest anything sometimes…whatever it takes…get through the minute, or the hour, or the day….JUST GET THROUGH. Prayers to Josh’s family, friends and my fellow mental illness fighters!
I Experienced extreme trauma in childhood and had a mother who had mental illness. Who never received proper treatment. My heart goes out to Josh’s family. The mental health system is no better now than it was when I was taking care of my mother as a child, in fact it has got worse. One gets dumped around from one place to another with short term interventions and according the drug of the day that is what is you get for any diagnosis. However there are some good services if you are lucky but it seems pot luck. In-so far as putting a person in Jail this happens far to often and they become alternative to hospitals. I have been so effected by caring for a mother who had a mental illness from such a young age with no help or support I experience PTSD,Depression, social anxiety, and many more issues. I still functioned in my life but made bad choices and married into domestic violence
I have never liked the way the Mental health System treat people who have a mental illness or their families a lot must change. People with a physical illness would not put up with this kind of treatment. My mother did the best she could and I never ever blamed her she was a genital person any one would want to know just like Josh and most people who have a mental illness.
Oh wow.What wonderful people you are!!! I am so touched and thankful for all the kind words,thoughts and prayers.Last night(another sleepless one) and this morning have seen the episode bottom out and tonight I can feel my mood and spirit lifting though I still feel fragile.
I`ve had a crazy 2/3 weeks as I walked into a robbery(at a friends business premises)when I was out with my beautiful and loving boxer dog Oskar.Since then I`ve recieved threats of violence/stabbing etc which I guess triggered this latest episode,although I was possibly a bit manic which would explain why I challenged the dumbest robbery team ever in the first place(there were security cameras everywhere).I feel kind of frightened of that in retrospect if that makes sense? And I worry about going to court to give evidence at the trial but I just need to remember I don`t always feel like this and I know I did the right thing.
I feel I am medication resistant,Im on Venlufaxine and Epilim(sodium valpourate)so I have developed strategies to coach myself through episodes.I just want to be “normal”.Im 52 and have been diagnosed for 13 years.
I get guilty after feeling suicidal,even though it was just a feeling,albeit a very intense one.
To Sharon,Ginaroses,Bea and Haplidasiy….thank you in particular.You have really touched my heart.
When I read of Josh I start to cry.Im crying for him now.I didn`t see the Master Chef final as I live in Scotland Uk,but I know from reading of him that he was warm,loving and talented.I feel deeply for his Mother in particulars and his other survivors.God rest his soul.
I’m happy that you feel better now!Thanks for writing it.I cried for Josh too,although I didn’t see him in tv here in Italy.
Firstly what a sad and yet all too familiar story, commiserations to the family especially the mother. Its uplifting and commendable that even at this time of intense grief they want to reach out and help others. And to you Gordan, I know the feeling of having no one and wanting to end it, I have battled it most of my life, I have to talk myself down alot because deep down even after a great day, week etc that deeply ingrained underlying residual thought is – whats the point, just do it and get it over with, your prolonging the inevitable- and than along with that come’s deep shame and a huge sense of failing as a human being. I KNOW too how frustrating it is to feel completely alone, there’s no one to turn to, and I have had many people stay at my place when they are down and out yet they get their life together and move on. To be called mental at work, you need medication, whats wrong with you etc etc all because your not as loud and hard as others, and having a parent who had severe depression/ est and never dealt with it, only got bombed out and told you how damaged you were as a child, and they wished they never had you, that you were a curse, So Gordan and others please know that your lives resonate with me, and I hope that all human beings will one day not önly be able to accept mental illness is just that and not some ploy for attention and that it is dealt with and accepted like any other sickness and not like a filthy rag that needs to be thrown away or you could catch something. My heartfelt best wishes to you all.
Gordon- please don’t ever give in. Sit in the pocket and ride it out. My nephew committed suicide and the ripple effect goes far even if you don’t have family. Accept and acknowledge your dark place and just wait. You may feel like things won’t get better but if you aren’t here- you’ll never get a chance to see! Every hero in the Bible overcame great struggles. Honor Josh by living.
oh my god ! i live in Canada and i can’t believe he was sent in prison with no one to took care of him.
and why his doctor didn’t wait a while before telling him about schizophrenia ????
we live in a fast high tech world but we can’t press undo when using a gun.
this is a tragedy when people pay taxes and don’t have access to basic health care !!!!!
it would be a good idea to publish Josh cook book if possible ? the family could use part of the profit to the foundation . why not raise money to make sure his book is published ?
i would participate and also buy the book and i’m sure i’m not the only one.
RIP Josh your spirit is still alive
Firstly so sorry to hear of this. Amazing that at this time of intense grief the family still want to reach out and help others. Gordan and others in a weird way even though we feel so very alone we are not, I too battle daily with wrapping things up- whats the point your just prolonging the inevitable- its such a residual thought now accompanied with shame and the feeling of cowardice cos I just can’t quite bring myself to do it, to read of others feeling so fed up shows me in a small way we are not alone even though most days I might as well be living in the north pole, to feel so very differant from most and be told it- how mental you are, or you need medication, here comes the freak its all too much and makes me hide away, being told your a curse-from my mother and damaged and wished she’d never had you- as she herself drops another pill to numb her brain, grrrr. Sadly I think there’s still a long way to go before mental illness/ deppresion and the likes are not treated as leprosy, exercise, eating right and getting out there only go so far, and talking like this tends to make people run a mile understandably not everyone can afford help or the meds, which all too often are questionable, your lives resonate with me. I wish as human beings we never had to feel alone and somehow to damaged to go on.
I’m brought to tears about Josh. As a fellow African-American, albeit a woman, who is 26 and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder two years ago now, I can completely relate to Josh’s 1) difficulty finding adequate treatment, 2) perceived stigma and discrimination and 3) resistance to accept a diagnosis. Being, young, black and determined didn’t allow for mental illness, at least in my view of myself. Thankfully, I have never been suicidal, though I strongly sympathize with those who deal with suicidality. My heart goes out to Josh’s family and I pray that his loss is a wake-up call to so many officials, health professionals, and community members about the vast need for services and training on the importance of treating mental illness.
What a tragic story!
I give Josh’s mother a lot of encouragement in her effort to help others who suffer like this. I too know the great pain of mental illness. I am fortunate to have good mental health providers available for the most part.
This story brought back bad memories when I was first diagnosed 14 years ago. You’d think psychiatrists would understand this is a difficult time for many people. Who wants to be called “psychotic”, “schizophrenic”,” bi-polar”, “depressive” etc. It shakes your soul!
Gordon, I am happy that you are doing better. Know that many people care about you and will pray for you!
This dude was murdered. he took his own life in an alley? and how convenient that he was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder right after he “lost” master chef, there are way too many loopholes in this story that they released. i think if you actually speak with the family it might be a whole different story. im thinking he was promised a deal under “certain circumstances” and he agreed but they never complied. In my eyes Josh sadly was just another victim of the industry. RIP
For the Mitchell and Marks family… I am so sorry your family has lost the best chef in the world… Watching Mr. Josh on Masterchefs was the best thing ever… I do understand the pain and process it takes to wake up each day with him being around…take it one day at a time… Your family have my deepest condolence… See my father passed away 2 months and 1week ago from cancer….his brother my Uncle committed suicide… Those lost are hard each day… When I read about Josh my heart hurt and tears dropped like Wow. I read on TMZ… Take care Josh fan
Me
I’d like thank you taking the time to thoughtfully give awareness to my son’s plight. Joshua was diagnosed with bipolar just the past January2013. In September 2012 he began having anxiety attacks, which later lead to the diagnosis of bipolar. The July incident was a failed suicide attempt that shouldn’t have never landed him in jail. The picture that they are using from that arrest was from a traffic violation. The police did it take his picture then because they had beaten him in the head with batons and broke his jaw. In addition Josh had already shot himself in the left ear. During the year 2014 Josh had been hospitalized five times. After the last hospitalization he had to complete and Outpaitent program. What good did this do he committed the act the next day. A nurse gave him the incorrect diagnosis on his discharge papers. He was bipolar not schizophrenia. Her mistake and to jut casually give someone discharge papers horrified me on the day when I picked him up.
I would only like to say you that I pray for you and for Josh every day.
Your quip about gun access “(not hard here in America)” I find inappropriate. A man died not because of a gun. He died because of a stress, a broken mental health system, and I would be willing to bet the house that stigma also played a role. Drew Sopirak was another tragedy of the system where fresh diagnosis, loss, and stress led to his death. The method does not matter as people can get very inventive. What matters is how do we support them before they make this decision without stripping them of liberties and humanity. Inpatient isn’t exactly the Hilton it is played out to be in lifetime movies, but rather is something more like a prison where treatment is worse unless you con afford better care and how many can? We even had a senator who couldn’t get his son committed because the hospital didn’t have room. His son attempted to kill him before he killed himself. I don’t care if you don’t like guns and/or think that they are easy to access in America, I am glad you have a strong opinion about it. Studies consistently show that when gun access is restricted, people find another way. Please give more about how agencies can advocate for better treatment programs and more funding for mental health. I look forward to investigating the foundation.
So many incompetent Drs out there…People with Bipolar 1 can have psychotic breaks (the gordon ramsay thing) or be delusional when manic…which could easily be misconstrued as a schizophrenic delusion. Poor man, RIP, bless.
I am so sad about this. Please publish his cook book. I am so shocked. From watching the show I could tell he was an amazing person. Such a young and talented person. I am so sorry for your loss. My heart goes out to you and your family.
I feel “put a bullet through his head” or w/e it said (too lazy to re read) is kind of insensitive and too descriptive
My son committed suicide in almost the exact same way. Only he took his father’s shotgun and put it to his dead right in his house, with me, his dad, and his sister there. I am still raw about it. It happened June 10th, 2014.
We tried to get him into a mental hospital, but he was turned down because his Medicaid was the ‘wrong kind’ of Medicaid. That was three days before he took his life. I wish every second of every day that I would have fought them over it. He often didn’t want help, but this time he was really having bad, scary hallucinations. He always had the auditory ones, but this time he saw spiders, everywhere. They never left.
I thought taking him home to sleep would help him. He woke up seeing and hearing things I can’t imagine. That Tuesday was the worst day of my life.
He was put on different pills, all the time. He had just been put on new meds a week before he died. It took literally five minutes for this NEW doctor to see him, assess him, and write a script. FIVE minutes, because I was there waiting in the waiting room! I still wonder if those drugs were what brought him to that point.
I know just how this man’s family feels, and it hurts each day. I wouldn’t wish mental illness on my worst enemy. My son deserved better.
The doctor diagnosing him with paranoid schizophrenia must be an idiot. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder with exactly the same symptoms. Stop trying to change what he was diagnosed with because his bipolar symptoms hold up much more than his paranoid schizophrenia symptoms as in rapid mood changes and mania. Sure he might have psychotic symptoms but that doesn’t mean he has/had paranoid schizophrenia. Given the inadequacy of the hospital and doctor that diagnosed him with schizophrenia because they aren’t as experienced as the better psychiatrists in real hospitals, it gave him confusion and frustration that he did not need.
I feel like Josh Marks should have won Masterchef. He was in need of 250000 dollars. Imagine the treatment options that could have been given to him after winning that award. Masterchef was the last hope that he could have.