On Tuesday, July 21, Demi Lovato made her return to Twitter and asked fans to “put down the meme making apps and pray” for people suffering from mental illness.
“What happened to compassion?” the songstress added.
It would be nice if for once people can put down the meme making apps and pray for someone who’s struggling with mental illness. What happened to compassion?
— Team Demi (@ddlovato) July 21, 2020
As fans know, her social media post came just one day after Halsey spoke out about her bipolar disorder in a series of Twitter posts, and begged followers to stop making “offensive remarks” about mental health issues.
“I have dedicated my career to offering education and insight about bipolar disorder and I’m so disturbed by what I’m seeing. Personal opinions about someone aside, a manic episode isn’t a joke. If you can’t offer understanding or sympathy, offer your silence,” the 25-year-old wrote. “A lot of people you know probably have bipolar disorder and you aren’t aware of it. Taking this opportunity to make offensive remarks and vilify people with mental illnesses is really not the way to go… This is the exact triggering s**t that causes people to keep quiet about it.”
No jokes right now. I have dedicated my career to offering education and insight about bipolar disorder and I’m so disturbed by what I’m seeing. Personal opinions about someone aside, a manic episode isnt a joke. If you can’t offer understanding or sympathy, offer your silence.
— h (@halsey) July 21, 2020
Although neither singer addressed him by name, both Demi and Halsey’s social media posts came just after Kanye West claimed that his wife, Kim Kardashian, was trying to “lock him up” in a series of since-deleted tweets, after he spoke out about their daughter North during a Presidential campaign rally. Previously, a source told People Magazine, “[Kanye] has suffered both manic and depressive episodes related to his bipolar disorder. Right now, he is struggling again.”
Other celebs, like Jamie Lynn Spears and Kevin McHale, also posted messages on social media about mental illness following the rapper’s explosive rant.
“It’s so so unbelievably easy to forget they’re not a fictional character in your head, but a real human with family and friends and who very possibly needs helps and is in crisis,” the Glee star wrote on Twitter. “It’s easy to laugh and make jokes at something we don’t personally have to confront, but it’s also just as easy to have empathy for struggle because we all have had to confront that.”
This is an opportunity for us to be better, to support and to hope a human being can get better. It's easy to laugh and make jokes at something we don't personally have to confront, but it's also just as easy to have empathy for struggle because we alll have had to confront that.
— Kevin McHale (@druidDUDE) July 21, 2020
On Instagram, the Zoey 101 star posted a photo of Halsey’s tweets alongside the caption, “If you deal with mental illness or care for someone dealing with mental illness, then you know how important it is to respect the situation with privacy for the person, and the family trying to protect their loved ones, no matter how it may appear to the public, and as the public we must learn to do the same. I pray this doesn’t bring shame to anyone dealing with mental illness, you are not alone, and you are loved.”
If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Youth Crisis Hotline at 1-800-448-4663.
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