Jared Padalecki reveals he checked into a clinic for 'dramatic suicidal ideation' in 2015: 'I needed a full reset'

Jared Padalecki is opening up about a "really low moment" in his life.

The actor, 41, revealed in an upcoming episode of Tommy DiDario’s I’ve Never Said This Before podcast that he checked into a clinic in 2015 after suffering from "dramatic suicidal ideation."

"I had a really low moment," Padalecki said via PEOPLE's preview of the episode (out Tuesday). "I was letting my thoughts take over and going to places of dramatic suicidal ideation. I called my wife and she said, ‘Get home.'"

"And so I got home, went to a clinic for a couple weeks and looked into it, and haven’t been suicidal since — not for a moment," Padalecki said, adding that he "needed a full reset."

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"I had spent 15 years in this industry," the Supernatural and Gilmore Girls alum said. "You go to an audition or a red carpet and they don’t want, ‘Jared, how are you doing today?’ ‘Today was rough, I didn’t sleep.’ They want, ‘It’s great! Excited to be here!’"

"I had done that for so long," Padalecki added, "trying to focus on what’s best for the person who’s talking to me as opposed to just being honest.” 

Of seeking help, he said, "I don’t wear it as a scarlet letter. It’s not like I’m shameful. I wear it proudly." Padalecki noted that he's doing much better, but he still experiences the ups and downs. "You’re a human, I’m a human. There are still highs and lows. And today’s a low,” he said, referencing the recent cancellation of his CW series Walker.  

“I’m fine — nothing to worry about," the actor said, "but I have a lot of sadness about" it. "I know I’ll be fine because I’m talking to you about it, I talk to Gen about it, I talk to my friends about it,” he continued, referencing wife Genevieve Padalecki. “Please be open, please share, please find somebody whether it’s a friend or professional."

Padalecki has long been vocal about his mental health struggles. He previously spoke about being diagnosed with depression on set of Supernatural while promoting a t-shirt campaign he launched to benefit To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA), a nonprofit organization that helps people struggling with addiction, depression, self-injury and suicide.

"Maybe a lot of people don’t know this, but season 3, we were shooting an episode, and I went back to my trailer to get changed and just kind of broke down," he previously told Variety. "A doctor came to set and talked to me and said, 'Jared, I think you’re clinically depressed. I think I should write you a note and we can shut down production for five days and then we can take it from there.' And it kind of hit me like a sack of bricks."

"There’s no shame in having to fight every day," Padalecki said, later adding, "Even if there are a thousand small fights, even if every other minute you’re thinking about suicide, or depression, or addiction, or if you have mental illness, I want people to hit it head on and take action. And to be proud that they’re winning their fight."