Selena Gomez Opens Up About Life After Bipolar Disorder Diagnosis
Selena Gomez revealed that after she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2018, she felt like “a huge weight” was lifted off of her.
The 29-year-old singer and actress told ELLE magazine for its September issue that, “I felt a huge weight lifted off me when I found out. I could take a deep breath and go, ‘Okay, that explains so much.'”
The National Institute of Mental Health describes bipolar disorder as a “brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.”
Gomez revealed her bipolar diagnosis last year on Miley Cyrus’ Instagram Live show “Bright Minded.”
The former Wizards of Waverly Place star said, “[Knowing] more information, it actually helps me. It doesn’t scare me once I know it … I wanted to know everything about it, and it took the fear away.”
One way Gomez has taken control of her mental health is by cutting herself off from social media since she struggled with the negativity online. She asked herself, “What’s the purpose of this?” Meaningful experiences like visiting kids in hospital wards and having fans come up to her to say how “Lose You to Love Me” has helped them through a divorce put things in perspective for Gomez.
“I’m like, ‘I’ve got to do something [more]. After I’m gone, I want people to remember me for my heart,’” Gomez said. In 2017, she handed over her social media accounts to be run by her assistant. Though she still provides photos and quotes, Gomez no longer posts directly herself.
“I don’t have it on my phone, so there’s no temptation. I suddenly had to learn how to be with myself. That was annoying because in the past, I could spend hours looking at other people’s lives. I would find myself down nearly two years in someone’s feed, and then I’d realize, ‘I don’t even know this person!’ Now I get information the proper way. When my friends have something to talk about, they call me and say, ‘Oh, I did this.’ They don’t say, ‘Wait, did you see my post?’”
The Spring Breakers actress was diagnosed with lupus in 2014 and underwent a life-saving kidney transplant in 2017 by her friend, Francia Raisa, as Selena was two weeks away from kidney failure.
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