Demi Lovato has revealed that she contemplated suicide when she was only seven years old.
Appearing on an episode of Dr. Phil that aired on Tuesday, the 25-year-old pop star recalled being fascinated by death.
“I have experienced things that I have not talked about and that I don't know if I ever will talk about,” Lovato said. “But at seven, I knew that if I were to take my own life that the pain would end.”
The singer, who has been a vocal advocate for mental health awareness, said those dark thoughts resurfaced throughout her life.
“It came back when I was bullied, it came back several times when I was struggling with depression—my bipolar disorder," Lovato admitted. "I turned to cutting and there was a while there where my mom was afraid to wake me up in the mornings because she didn't know if she opened the door if I would be alive or not because every time I cut it got deeper and deeper.”
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Lovato told Dr. Phil her suicidal thoughts were driven by sadness – loneliness and depression.
“A lot of that had to do with unresolved issues with my birth father that I hadn't dealt with yet," she explained. "Now, that I've gotten older and I've been able to grieve the loss of him and I've been able to step back and look from a distance that he was mentally ill and it wasn't his heart that meant to abandon me, I’ve been able to overcome his loss and understand where everything went wrong.
“And that sadness has been going away.”
If you’re considering harming yourself or having thoughts of suicide, please click here to find resources in your province.