Selena Revealed How Being "Mocked" For Seeking Mental Health Treatment Affected Her
The stigma around mental health needs to end.
Any Selena Gomez stan will argue there are a thousand reasons to love their fave — her openness when it comes to discussing mental health issues is one of those reasons. For years, the actor, singer, and Rare Beauty founder has talked publicly about her experiences with both physical and mental health challenges. However, being vulnerable about your health isn’t as easy as it looks. Recently, Selena Gomez said she was “mocked” for seeking mental health treatment, which is pretty heartbreaking.
Although our society is growing more comfortable with talking about mental health challenges, they are still stigmatized. Gomez — who has bipolar disorder and has battled anxiety, depression, and panic attacks as side effects of her lupus — knows all about these negative perceptions. Her own experiences have even inspired her to advocate for mental health education and funding.
Most recently, in a June 19 interview with Vogue Australia, Gomez got *so* real about the changing realities of dealing with mental health challenges in the public eye.
“I think in mental health, I never understood the stigma until I went to my first treatment center, because that was years ago,” she said. “But then there was a photograph that got out, and it’s wild to see how mean they were. [The media was] like: ‘She’s the next this person, she’s the childhood star,’ whatever,” Gomez said. “And: ‘She’s doing drugs.’ They’re saying all this stuff about me.”
“I’m watching all of that change, slowly but surely, because now, if any media outlet made fun of me, they’re the ones that look like the asshole because we don’t tolerate that anymore,” she continued.
Gomez’s experience with mental health treatment centers traces back to 2014. She told Vogue she’s been to four treatment centers total. However, when she’s home, she still invests time in mental wellness — using music, in particular, as therapy. “I love being in the studio,” she confessed. “Because the first hour I’m in a studio, I just talk. It’s like therapy. You just go in and you share your heart.”
As usual, Gomez’s honesty is so inspiring.
