Gypsy Rose Blanchard Says The Media Has Had A 'Negative Effect' On Her Mental Health

Gypsy Rose Blanchard has gained an enormous following after she was released from prison on parole in December 2023. While she is grateful for the positive support, she is now revealing that the media has impacted her mental health in a "negative" way.

As The Blast previously reported, Gypsy spent eight and a half years behind bars after pleading guilty to her involvement in her mother's murder.

While she pled guilty to homicide, many are rallying behind the 32-year-old as she is believed to be a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, which is a mental health disorder in which a caregiver fabricates one to have an illness or injury in someone under their care, typically a child.

In this case, Dee Dee Blanchard, Gypsy's mother, convinced friends, family members, doctors, and Gypsy herself that she suffered from various illnesses and conditions.

After Gypsy found out that everything was a lie, she felt the only way out was to kill her mom, which was carried out in June 2015 by her then-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn.

Gypsy was sentenced to 10 years in prison for her involvement, but after serving 85% of her sentence, she was released on parole. Nicholas was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Following her release, Gypsy Rose Blanchard has gained a massive following, and while she is "touched by the positivity that people were showing [her]," she admits to being "very much an introvert" and so "the media storm hit [her]."

"As social media began and how it always does, it turned negative," Gypsy Rose told PEOPLE at the 'An Evening with Lifetime: Conversations On Controversies' FYC event panel. "It started to have a negative effect on my mental health," which led her to take "a step back" from the internet.

After suddenly disappearing from the social media world, Gypsy Rose broke her silence, claiming, "I do my best to live my authentic life, and what's real to me and what's not real is social media. Social media is literally a doorway to h-ll. It's so crazy. I can't even wrap my head around what social media is."

She said she expected to "enjoy social media like the next person, taking selfies and just acting goofy," but that's not what happened as she faced online criticism and hate. In the end, she decided it was best to delete her accounts. However, she has since returned to TikTok.

After taking a step back from social media and the press, she has since returned but has learned not to read the comments or play into the negativity. Since being released, the "biggest lesson" she has learned is "to take your time."

"Because I think too often, I also get excited about my newfound freedom, and so I think I rush to do things; I want to cram it all in, so I'm just learning to take my time," she said at the panel promoting her upcoming docuseries, 'Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up.'

"These last four months have been met with challenges and ups and downs, but that's life, right? So I'm just enjoying it," she continued.

In addition to the upcoming Lifetime docuseries, 'Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up,' she is also getting ready to release a memoir titled 'My Time to Stand.'

"I am in love with the title of my book not only because it addresses the question I get most, but because in our pain and struggle, we can find what it is that we want to stand for," Gypsy told PEOPLE of the book's title. "That inside our stories, if we dare to sit in the stillness of them, our purpose can be revealed."

"And we all have a purpose. That’s what I hope people will take away from my book," she added.

"'My Time to Stand' is about reclaiming my footing, so others can be inspired to walk a life of purpose and meaning and build a future sturdy enough, so others can stand for something, too," she concluded.