Editor's Note: If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing or texting “988.”
Perez Hilton's family is offering an update more than a month after his hospitalization and public mental health crisis.
Hilton, 48, was hospitalized on Aug. 4 following an alarming TikTok livestream that seemingly showed him performing acts of self-harm at his Miami home while experiencing a mental health crisis. His family later shared that he had been involuntarily taken to a facility to undergo mental health examinations.
In a statement shared on his website on Monday, Sept. 14, the family confirmed that Hilton, whose real name is Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr., has entered a residential
treatment program intended to address his mental health. He is expected to stay in the program for at least several more weeks as his treatment team determines what is best for his recovery.
"It’s been more than a month since the events of August 4, and we wanted to share an update with everyone who has continued to reach out, send messages, and share well wishes for Perez and our family," the statement reads. "This was an important next step, but there’s still a long road ahead."
The family confirmed that the blogger does not have access to his phone or laptop and that only his friends and family can contact him "so that he can focus fully on getting better."
They also addressed false reports providing inaccurate updates on his physical and mental condition.
"To be clear, Perez has not lost ten years of his memory, does not believe it’s 2016, and is not confused about where he is. He is lucid and communicates clearly with his family," the statement read. "He does not have stitches and is not covered in gauze. And no, he has not asked anyone to bring Katy Perry to see him or mentioned her."
The family emphasized that the false rumors have not come from any family members or anyone authorized to speak on his behalf.
Perez Hilton's mother is parenting his children
The statement also confirmed that Hilton's mother, Teresita Lavandeira, has been granted temporary custody of his three children: Mario, 13, Mia, 11, and Mayte, 8.
The children remain "together, safe, and doing well" throughout this "unexpected chapter," the family added.
"Our family’s priority continues to be giving them as much stability, routine, and 'normalcy' as possible while their dad focuses on his recovery," the statement continued. "We are incredibly grateful for everything their grandmother is doing for them."
It continued: "Three children came frighteningly close to losing their father forever. There is nothing funny or entertaining about that."
The family also acknowledged that September is Suicide Prevention Month, adding that "this can also serve as a reminder that mental health struggles can affect anyone, even when others may not see what someone is going through."
On Aug. 4, authorities with the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office arrived at Hilton's home in response to multiple calls about him livestreaming acts of apparent self-harm. In an unverified video that circulated online, the blogger seemed to be nude and covered in blood while he held a sharp object and exhibiting signs of distress.
Contributing: Liza Esquibias, Anthony Thompson and Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Perez Hilton's family shares new recovery update weeks after alarming livestream
