Singer-songwriter and musician James Arthur has opened up about his mental health struggles in a new interview with London's Evening Standard.

The star explained that he was “medicating before I was on 'The X Factor': a helluva lot of weed and antidepressants" because his mental health wasn't the most stable at the time:

"...Sertraline, which is for manic depression — and Valium. But I was taking more than the dosage, and smoking, so I was speeding up my heart, slowing down my heart, messing with my head… But when I got through after the first audition in Newcastle, I thought there might be random drug tests, so I knocked off the weed. Also I was struggling with the antidepressants, so I decided to stop them dead."

The "Say You Won't Let Me Go" sensation went onto add that this resulted in awful panic attacks that felt like near-death experiences "eight times a day". 

After being dropped by Simon Cowell's SyCo label, Arthur admitted that he was plagued by suicidal thoughts: "I was ever near a balcony, or in my car, I’d have an image of me jumping over or driving off the road. But then I’d think, don’t do it, you’ve got sisters."

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Watch his recent performance on 'The X Factor' below: