Selena Gomez, who has never shied away from discussing mental health, spoke up Friday about having bipolar disorder.
“I went to one of the best mental hospitals in... America, McClean Hospital, and I discussed that after years of going through a lot of different things, I realized that I was bipolar,” the pop star told Miley Cyrus on Instagram Live.
According to Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, bipolar disorder is “a medical condition that causes a person to cycle through periods of depression and elevated mood.”
Gomez stressed the importance of learning about what she doesn't understand.
“When I was younger, I was scared of thunderstorms. And my mom bought me all these different books on thunderstorms so she's like, 'The more that you educate yourself on this, the more that you're not going to be afraid.' And it completely worked,” Gomez recalled.
“And so when I got to know more information, it actually helps me. It doesn't scare me once I know it.”
The 27-year-old said talking about mental health wasn’t something people did in her native Texas. “You got to seem cool. And then I see anger built up in children and teenagers or … young adults because they are wanting that so badly,” she said.
“I wanted to know everything about it. And it took the fear away.”
In a 2018 interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Gomez said she will be dealing with mental health issues for the rest of her life.
“I’ve had a lot of issues with depression and anxiety, and I’ve been very vocal about it, but it’s not something I feel I’ll ever overcome,” she explained. “It’s a battle I’m gonna have to face for the rest of my life, and I’m okay with that because I know that I’m choosing myself over anything else.”
On Friday, Gomez said the tools she picked up in therapy are helping her cope with self-isolation during the COVID-19 crisis.
“This is where we test each other,” she told Cyrus. “How are we gonna treat each other? This can be a time to be gentle with ourselves. Taking breaks from the noise and even social media… Just being outside and breathing in.
“Talking through what you’re feeling is extremely helpful. Sometimes I have to feel it, sometimes I’ve got to cry it out and release it, and just take a deep breath. I’m a big empath, so I feel so much of what the world is feeling. Being there for other people actually helps me, too.”
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