ABC/Image Group LASelena Gomez has had her share of medical issues, mostly due to her lupus, but now she’s revealing more about her mental health challenges.
Guesting on her old friend Miley Cyrus‘ Instagram Live show Bright Minded on Friday, Selena confirmed she’s been diagnosed as bipolar.
“Recently, I went to one of the best mental hospitals in…America, McLean Hospital, and I discussed that, after years of going through a lot of different things, I realized that I was bipolar,” Selena told Miley. “And so when I got to know more information, it actually helps me. It doesn’t scare me once I know it.”
She continued, “I’ve seen some of it even in my own family, where I’m like, ‘What’s going on?’ I’m from Texas, it’s just not known to talk about mental health…I just feel like when I finally said what I was going to say, I wanted to know everything about it. And it took the fear away.”
Selena, who was honored by Boston’s McLean Hospital for her mental health advocacy, said at the hospital’s annual awards dinner back in September that she dealt with anxiety and depression, but did not specify she was bipolar.
In her speech, she said when she learned of her diagnosis, she felt “equal parts terrified and relieved — terrified because the veil was lifted but relieved that I finally had the knowledge of why I had suffered with various depressions and anxieties for so many years. I never had full awareness or answers about this condition.”
Friday’s full episode of Bright Minded, which also features chats with Elton John, Kerry Washington, Jimmy Fallon, can be seen now on Miley’s Instagram page; it’ll be posted on YouTube tomorrow.
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