Former Disney Channel starlet Selena Gomez is opening up about her bipolar disorder. In her new Allure cover story, the songstress explained why she’s “proud” to learn more about the diagnosis.

“I have always had so many different emotions and I didn’t know how to control them quite well,” Selena, 28, said in the October 2020 issue. “It was complicated. But I think I’m happy to understand it. Once I did find out more about who I was, I was proud. I also felt comfortable knowing that I wasn’t alone, and I was going to get through it. So, I will always be passionate about that. It’s something I will continue to talk about.”

Selena publicly revealed her bipolar disorder diagnosis for the first time back in April. While speaking with fellow actress Miley Cyrus on her Instagram Live show “Bright Minded,” the Wizards of Waverly Place alum gave advice to fans who might be suffering with mental health issues and explained that having “more information” is what helps her the most.

“After years of going through a lot of different things, I realized that I was bipolar,” she said at the time. “It [didn’t] scare me once I knew [the diagnosis] and I think people get scared of that. I wanted to know everything about it and it took the fear away.”

She continued, “When I was younger, I was scared of thunderstorms and my mom bought me all these different books on thunderstorms, so she’s like, ‘The more that you educate yourself on this, the more that you’re not gonna be afraid,’ and it completely worked. That’s kind of something that helps me big time.”

Earlier this month, Selena also talked with Bustle and explained why she’s been so open about her mental health struggles throughout her career.

“It is something that is very close to me,” she said. “I know that there is still such a stigma, but there’s still so many people who don’t even know [their diagnosis]. And it is really frustrating because when people don’t know, it feels like you’re really alone, and you feel crazy.”

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