Perez Hilton’s friends reportedly fear that his life-threatening battle with sepsis may be part of the larger picture surrounding his recent mental health crisis. The 48-year-old gossip blogger was hospitalized Tuesday after authorities responded to multiple reports that he was livestreaming acts of self-harm from inside his Miami home. Although Hilton’s close circle reportedly suspects he may be experiencing psychological complications associated with surviving sepsis, an expert cautioned that no direct connection can be established without a proper medical evaluation.
Hilton spent three weeks in the hospital in March after developing an ulcer, a perforation and sepsis. His friends now reportedly fear that the traumatic medical ordeal may have affected his mental health in the months that followed.
“His health struggles this year have been extreme. The sepsis honestly almost killed him,” a source told Page Six. “I don’t know if people realize just how traumatic and horrific that was for him, both physically, but also emotionally.”
Post-sepsis syndrome affects up to 50% of survivors and can involve “new or worsened physical, cognitive, and psychological problems for months to years after hospital discharge,” according to the Sepsis Alliance.
Possible psychological effects include depression, mood swings, post-traumatic stress symptoms, panic attacks, and difficulty concentrating. However, those complications vary significantly among survivors and cannot be assumed in any individual case.
Clinical and forensic psychologist Dr. Andrew Mendonsa explained that people who survive sepsis or other life-threatening conditions can “have psychological and cognitive difficulties that continue well after the immediate medical crisis is over.”
“That can include depression, anxiety, trauma symptoms, sleep problems, fatigue, difficulty concentrating or remembering things, and sometimes changes in mood or behavior,” he said.
Psychologist Warns Against Blaming Sepsis For The Incident
Mendonsa stressed that many people recover from sepsis without developing serious psychological complications. “Many people recover without significant psychological problems. It just means there is a meaningful group of survivors who do struggle afterward,” he said.
The psychologist also made clear that he could not determine whether Hilton’s illness contributed to the reported self-harm. “I have never evaluated him, I have not reviewed his records, and I don’t know everything that was happening in his life at the time. So I can’t say that his sepsis caused or contributed to the reported self-harm,” Mendonsa said.
“Self-harm and suicidal behavior are usually much more complicated than a single event or explanation,” he continued. “There can be medical, psychological, social, environmental, and situational factors interacting with one another.”
While Mendonsa believes it is reasonable to ask whether Hilton’s medical trauma and recovery were “part of the larger picture,” he warned against presenting that possibility as an established explanation. “What we can’t responsibly do from the outside is conclude that the sepsis caused the incident,” he said. “That would require an actual evaluation and much more information than we have publicly.”
Perez Hilton Said Sepsis Nearly Cost Him His Life
Hilton, whose real name is Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr., previously explained that his health crisis began after he took flu medication without eating. He said he “developed an ulcer and then a perforation and then sepsis.”
Sepsis occurs when the body responds improperly to an infection, potentially causing organs to function poorly. It can progress to septic shock, involving a severe drop in blood pressure capable of damaging multiple organs and causing death, according to the Mayo Clinic.
“My stupidity landed me in the hospital for 21 days. It was the worst and best thing that’s ever happened to me,” Hilton said in a YouTube video following his hospitalization.
One month later, he returned to the hospital for emergency surgery involving a “massive” blood clot. “His health struggles this year have been extreme. The sepsis honestly almost killed him,” a source said. “I don’t know if people realize just how traumatic and horrific that was for him, both physically, but also emotionally.”
Authorities Responded To Hilton’s Miami Home
Hilton was hospitalized again on Tuesday after viewers contacted authorities about his TikTok livestream. The Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office said it received “multiple calls” reporting “an individual livestreaming acts of self-harm on social media.”
Hilton was “safely recovered and transported” to a local hospital for medical attention. “The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Crisis Response Unit and Licensed Mental Health Professionals are also on scene providing support and resources to the individual’s family,” authorities said.
Dispatch audio reportedly described the emergency as a “suicide attempt,” while surveillance footage captured several police vehicles outside Hilton’s home. “Mario, it’s the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, please step out of the house,” an officer could be heard repeatedly saying.
Authorities were initially told that Hilton was alone inside the home. However, Hilton’s family later revealed that his three children, niece, and sister had been at the residence shortly before the livestream began.
“Just minutes before the public livestream incident, Perez’s children, niece, and sister were inside the home,” the family said in a statement. “When it became clear that Perez was experiencing a severe mental health crisis and harming himself, they immediately fled to protect the children from witnessing any further trauma.”
Perez Hilton Reportedly Said ‘I Need Help’
Hilton’s family confirmed that he was able to communicate after receiving medical treatment. A source claimed that his first words after being hospitalized were, “I need help.”
“He’s a man in a lot of pain,” the insider said. “I think right now he’s focused on the physical, but it’s all tied together. No one deserves the torment he’s going through.”
TikTok permanently banned Hilton’s account after the livestream, which reportedly remained active for approximately 15 minutes because of a moderation error.
