Over the last several years, Selena Gomez has been fairly open about her struggles with mental health. The singer-songwriter has spoken candidly about her depression, panic attacks, and anxiety, which were fueled by her battle with lupus. However, it wasn't until recently that Gomez learned she was also suffering from bipolar disorder.
The 27-year-old revealed her diagnosis during an appearance on Miley Cyrus's Instagram Live show Bright Minded. Gomez told viewers she realized she was bipolar after going to McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts—one of the top-rated psychiatric hospitals in the country.
"Recently I went to one best mental hospitals in the world ... and I discussed that after years of going through a lot of different things, I realized that I was bipolar," Gomez explained.
She went on to say that while growing up in Texas, she rarely heard people speak openly about their mental health. Gomez noted that many children had to suppress their feelings and hide their struggles in an attempt to "seem cool"; but because many refused to address the issue, anger continued to build up inside. So, rather than try to ignore her diagnosis, Gomez decided to educate herself about the disorder to alleviate the fear.
"When I got to know more information, it actually helps me, it doesn’t scare me once I know it. And I think people get scared of that ..." she said. "When I was younger, I was scared of thunderstorms and my mom bought me all these books on thunderstorms and she was like, ‘The more you educate yourself on this, the more that you’re not going to be afraid.’ It completely worked. That’s something that helps me big time."
Gomez also spoke about the ways she copes with her mental health issues, stating cognitive behavioral therapy has been a huge help.
"I tried to use the tools that I’ve used when I’ve been in therapy, which is amazing," Gomez said. "Dialectical behavior therapy helps big time. It’s about how you process your emotions and thoughts turning into actions. I visualize things so much it freaks me out. I have to center myself and let the thoughts come in, sometimes I write them down, and then sit with what is it and why I can’t get to the bottom of this."
