Tamar Braxton speaks out after reported hospitalization: 'Mental illness is real'

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Tamar Braxton has spoken out for the first time after reportedly being hospitalized when she was found unresponsive in a hotel room earlier this month.

At the time, several outlets reported that her boyfriend found her unresponsive at the Ritz-Carlton in Los Angeles on the night of July 16. Reps for Braxton, 43, did not respond to Fox News' previous request for comment.

On Thursday, the reality star took to Instagram to share a lengthy statement along with a picture of herself hugging her son.

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While Braxton didn't directly address what led to the hospitalization, she did mention in her statement that she made an "attempt to end my pain and my life."

She began by thanking her fans for their prayers, thoughts, love and support.

"In this present moment, it is my only responsibility to be real with myself and to be real with the ones who truly love me and care for my healing," she said. "I have without fail, shared with you my brightest days, and I know that sharing with you what has been my darkest will be the light for any man or woman who is feeling the same defeat I felt just only a week ago."

The singer noted that "every one of us has a desire ... to make it out of where we come from," including a drive to achieve "freedom," "security," and "fortune."

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"We believe these things can co-exist with just being happy. I believed that, that as a black woman, as an artist, an influence, a personality I could shape my world, and with whom I believed to be my partners, they could help me share my world," Braxton admitted. "Over the past 11 years there were promises made to protect and portray my story, with the authenticity and honesty I gave. I was betrayed, taken advantage of, overworked, and underpaid," she claimed.

Braxton, along with her family -- including R&B star Toni Braxton -- has spent plenty of time in the public eye thanks to her endeavors in television, including the reality shows "Braxton Family Values" and "Celebrity Big Brother," while she also served as a co-host of "The Real" for three seasons, not to mention her Grammy-nominated body of music.

"I wrote a letter over 2 months ago asking to be freed from what I believed was excessive and unfair. I explained in personal detail the demise I was experiencing. My cry for help went totally ignored. However the demands persisted," she recounted. "It was my spirit, and my soul that was tainted the most. There are a few things I count on most to be, a good mother, a good daughter, a good partner, a good sister, and a good person. Who I was, begun to mean little to nothing, because it would only be how I was portrayed on television that would matter."

The "All the Way Home" singer said she was "witnessing the slow death of the woman [she] became," which diminished her will to fight.

"I felt like I was no longer living, I was existing for the purpose of a corporations [sic.] gain and ratings, and that killed me," she shared. "Mental illness is real. We have to normalize acknowledging it and stop associating it with shame and humiliation. The pain that I have experienced over the past 11 years has slowly ate away at my spirit and my mental [health]."

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Braxton then vowed to "aid" those that suffer from mental illness, specifically those whose struggles are rooted in the world of television.

WE tv, home to "Braxton Family Values," did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.

The show has been on air since 2011 and also stars Braxton's sisters Toni, Traci, Trina and Towanda, as well as their mother Evelyn.

Tamar Braxton (left) with sister Toni Braxton in 'Braxton Family Values.' (We tv/AMC Networks)

"It was only God's grace and his mercy on my attempt to end my pain and my life that I am here to utilize my voice," the star's statement continued. "It is only your prayers that have pushed me to rise above my own personal demise, pushed me to not only continue my fight for the freedom of my own thoughts, mind and soul, but to also use my voice and experience to be an ally for every black and brown person who has suffered from the continued exploitation of reality television."

She explained that reality TV personalities have "no union, no coat of protection," to protect their rights, and that despite promises of opportunity, they're often met with "exploitation, which has only developed a poor portrayal of black people in show business."

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"I am learning to grow through my pain instead of looking for an escape. I'm on an irreversible path to healing, I am taking my time," said Braxton. "It is of the upmost [sic.] importance that I find my happy and my health, through professional treatment, for the sake of my whole heart, Logan, who I forgot in my moment of distress and desperation."

Braxton gave birth to her son Logan in 2013 and shares him with ex-husband Vincent Herbert.

Tamar Braxton. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images)

"My rise will not be in vain," she promised. "I will make it my mission to establish the initiative that fights for ethical business practices in reality TV, fights for the ownership of our businesses, promote growth and evolution, of our stories, and gives us 100% equity in our freedom."

The singer called her love for her support system "infinite," and noted that she's "forever grateful" for her loved ones.

She concluded: "I pray you will stand with me and be courageous enough to share your own truth."

Braxton is set to be the subject of the docuseries "Tamar Braxton: Get Ya Life!" which People magazine has learned will debut on Sept. 10.

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In a statement previously obtained by the outlet, WE tv called Braxton "an incredibly important member of the WE tv family for more than a decade."

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).