On April 3, Selena Gomez made a special appearance on Miley Cyrus‘ Instagram Live show, “Bright Minded,” and she revealed that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Now, a little over a month later, the Wizards of Waverly Place star has explained why she decided to open up about her mental health struggles with the fellow Disney Channel starlet.
“I happened to catch it one day and loved what she was doing and knew I wanted to be a guest. I liked the rawness of the show,” the 27-year-old told the Wall Street Journal in a recent interview. “I feel like people are yearning for that type of realism right now. Not something overly produced.”
She added, “Miley has never been afraid to take risks or put herself out there. This new role really seems to suit her, and you can tell she’s really enjoying herself.”
For those who missed it, at the time, Selena explained that being informed about her diagnosis helped her cope with it the most.
“Recently, I went to one of the best mental hospitals — McLean Hospital — and I discussed that, after years of going through a lot of different things, I realized that I was bipolar and so, 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 explained on the Instagram Live show. “When I finally said what I was gonna say, I wanted to know everything about it and it took the fear away.”
Selena 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 and that’s kind of something that helps me big time.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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