Stronger Than EverSelena Gomez Speaks Out About Mental Health Issues: Everything She’s Ever Said

2014-2015

Selena secretly completed a two-week stay at a rehab facility in Arizona in January 2014. After she was diagnosed with lupus in 2015, the actress went public with the news.

“Selena voluntarily spent time at Meadows but not for substance abuse,” Selena’s rep told E! News at the time. Selena later explained that she was receiving treatment for the autoimmune disease.

“I was diagnosed with lupus, and I’ve been through chemotherapy. That’s what my break was really about. I could’ve had a stroke,” she told Billboard in October 2015. “I wanted so badly to say, ‘You guys have no idea. I’m in chemotherapy. You’re a–holes.’ But I was angry I even felt the need to say that. It’s awful walking into a restaurant and having the whole room look at you, knowing what they’re saying. I locked myself away until I was confident and comfortable again.”

2016

Selena Gomez canceled the remaining dates on her Revival Tour in 2016 to check herself into a treatment center again. The songstress decided to seek help because of her anxiety.

“As many of you know, around a year ago I revealed that I have lupus. I’ve discovered that anxiety, panic attacks and depression can be side effects of lupus, which can present their own challenges,” the singer said in a statement at the time. “I want to be proactive and focus on maintaining my health and happiness and have decided that the best way forward is to take some time off.”

2017

Selena opened up about spending 90 days at a rehab facility in Tennessee

“You have no idea how incredible it felt to just be with six girls,” she told Vogue in March 2017. “It was one of the hardest things I’ve done, but it was the best thing I’ve done.”

She chatted with GQ about her decision to enter rehab. “I got diagnosed with lupus,” she explained. “My mom had a very public miscarriage. So I had to cancel my tour. I needed time to just be OK.”

January 2018

The singer voluntarily checked herself into a rehab facility again in January 2018 for two weeks.

“She doesn’t want to slip back to where she was, ever. She always wants to be proactive,” a source close to the singer explained to Us Weekly at the time. “She’s had a lot going on the last few months and she wanted to clear her mind and thought this was the way to do it.”

March 2018

“Anyone who knows me knows I will always start with my health and my well-being,” the “Bad Liar” singer said in her March 2018 cover story for Harper’s Bazaar. “I’ve had a lot of issues with depression and anxiety, and I’ve been very vocal about it, but it’s not something I feel I’ll ever overcome. There won’t be a day when I’m like, ‘Here I am in a pretty dress — I won!’ I think it’s a battle I’m gonna have to face for the rest of my life, and I’m OK with that because I know that I’m choosing myself over anything else. I want to make sure I’m healthy. If that’s good, everything else will fall into place.”

November 2018

Aside from her mental health struggles, Selena has also opened up about her insecurities.

“I get really insecure sometimes, I go through weird ups and downs,” the “Bad Liar” songstress told Elle Magazine at the time. “I think it’s important for girls to know the strength in everything, their identity and their soul, lies within themselves. And too much today you give that away so easily, from social media to school or relationships. And I think it’s important – I want to remind girls that they’re perfectly strong the way they are.”

January 2019

Selena teamed up with Julia Michaels for a song called “Anxiety.”

“But all my friends they don’t know, what it’s like, what it’s like / They don’t understand why, I can’t sleep through the night,” the ladies sang. “I’ve always wanted to be one of those people in the room that says something and everyone puts their hand up / Like, if you’re sad, put your hand up / If you hate someone, put your hand up / If you’re scared, put your hand up.”

September 2019

“Last year, I was suffering mentally and emotionally, and I wasn’t able to stay all kept up and together. I wasn’t able to keep a smile or to keep thinks looking normal. And it felt like all of my pain and anxiety washed over me all at once, and it was one of the scariest moments of my life,” she said while visiting the McLean Hospital in Boston. “I sought support, and the doctors were able to give me a clear diagnosis. The moment I received that information I actually felt equal parts of terrified and relieved — terrified, obviously, because the veil was lifted, but relieved I finally had the knowledge of why I had suffered for so many years from depression and anxiety. I’ve never had full answers, awareness or anything about this condition. So I began to face it head on.”

She continued, “I talked to a lot of people that were suffering with the same things. I read a lot about it, and it was something that kind of took over and I became very passionate about it,” the “Bad Liar” songstress added. “I’ve met with some greatest doctors, and I’ve met with specialists, and I’m just fortunate enough to be able to work with some of the greatest doctors and psychiatrists and amazing people to help me guide me personally through my journey. Although this does not mean that it has all gone away, but I can say that after a year of a lot of intense work that I am happier, I am healthier, and I’m in control of my emotions and thoughts more than I’ve ever been, so I’m very happy about that.”

April 2020

While chatting with Miley Cyrus on an episode of her Instagram Live show “Bright Minded,” Selena revealed her bipolar disorder diagnosis.

“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 said. “When I finally said what I was gonna say, 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 and that’s kind of something that helps me big time.”

September 2020

The songstress explained why she’s “proud” to learn more about her bipolar disorder diagnosis.

“I have always had so many different emotions and I didn’t know how to control them quite well,” Selena said in Allure‘s 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.”

October 2020

“I myself have, you know, shared my story about my mental health journey and I just read too much, I think, about how deep that this country is being affected mentally,” Selena said during a conversation with Vice President Kamala Harris. “I’ve had so many dreams about, you know, creating places that people could go to. I think there’s a part of me that wishes we had some sort of place that felt like, okay, maybe you just need to get help.”

She continued, “You know, it should be something that people can understand and break down, because I truly know that this is something that’s important and important to me.”

November 2020

“For me, I had to give up social media … so I would go through these periods when I wouldn’t [use my accounts],” she revealed in an interview with The Newsette. “But I got so angry that my story was twisted into so many different things. The first time I posted [again], I was like, ‘I claim my own story, so if you don’t hear it from me, then it’s not true. Did I go and get help? Yes I did. But I’m not ashamed. I feel better and I feel like I can understand a lot of things now.'”

She continued, “I think that was my moment when I knew [nobody] was going to take my story away from me. And I really do believe that I made the circle, if you will, of making the media look like s–t if they’re making fun of someone who has mental health issues.”

December 2020

“I’ve definitely been a champion for mental health for numerous years and talked very openly about my experiences,” she told People Magazine. “The reason that I do that is so people understand that they aren’t alone.”

December 2020

Selena spoke at the Teen Vogue Summit 2020 in December and talked about being open about her mental health.

“I think it’s less scary when you talk about it. So that’s some sense of freedom that I gained once I did,” she said. “I think I had a moment where I felt different. Like, ‘Why do I react this way? Why do I feel the way I do and nobody else does?’ and I had to figure that out. I didn’t want just to stay in this place of confusion.”

She continued, “My journey personally has been all about my timing; when I felt like it was working, that’s when I suddenly became so obsessed with making sure that everybody I knew understood that sharing your emotions [was] great … How I’m a huge advocate for therapy. How I feel like there are support groups for everybody, and it’s OK … there’s no way that people aren’t feeling a certain way, whether they’re figuring that out on their own or not, we all need each other.”

June 2021

While looking back at her most iconic fashion looks over the years with Vogue, Selena explained, “I fluctuate a lot with my weight,” adding that the realization of “I don’t have to be that 19-year-old body shape anymore, because I’m not,” has really helped her over the years.

In a separate interview with Vogue Australia, the actress candidly discussed her mental health journey and why she decided to use her platform to speak out. “I think before, as a celebrity, it’s like, ‘Don’t say certain things.’ People are like, ‘Who are you? You’re just a singer,’” she said. “I was like, ‘You’re right. That’s what I am. But I also really care about this.’ I may not know the ins and outs, but I’m not going to stop.”

August 2021

“My lupus, my kidney transplant, chemotherapy, having a mental illness, going through very public heartbreaks — hese were all things that honestly should have taken me down,” Selena told Elle magazine. “Every time I went through something, I was like, ‘What else? What else am I going to have to deal with?’”

The actress explained that the idea she could help people is “really what kept me going.” Selena added, “There could have been a time when I wasn’t strong enough, and would have done something to hurt myself.”

October 2021

“There was this immense amount of pressure I had growing up that I felt like I needed to be a good role model,” Selena told Beauty Inc. “And then, I felt like maybe that was just unrealistic, and my life became very public really quickly, and I didn’t know that I was going through my own journey with mental health at the time.”

She added, “It was really confusing growing up, and once people created this narrative of my life, I realized I can’t be quiet anymore. I have to just address what needs to be addressed, and that’s me reclaiming my story, which is, ‘OK, yeah, I was definitely going through a hard time, and this is why, and this is what I deal with.’”

November 2021

Selena announced the launch of her Mental Health Platform Wondermind.

“Something I’ve always tried to do in my career is  make sure I lend my voice to places where it matters,” she told Entrepreneur. “And I have to give my mom credit for that because she taught me everything.”

December 2021

Selena told fans how she takes care of her mind in a video shared to the Wondermind Instagram account.

“Sometimes I’m not good at it. It just happens. I’ll just wake up and I struggle maybe sometimes just getting out of bed,” she explained. “What helps me, first and foremost, [is] just picking up the phone and calling someone. I constantly try to fill myself with knowledge of what it is that I am feeling and the triggers that happen to me. So I think what really helps me understand myself a bit more is that I can take a step back and think of all the tools I’ve learned and try to implement them in my everyday life. That’s usually what helps me.”

January 2022

During an interview with InStyle, Selena reflected on her relationship with social media.

“At one point, Instagram became my whole world, and it was really dangerous. In my early 20s, I felt like I wasn’t pretty enough. There was a whole period in my life when I thought I needed makeup and never wanted to be seen without it. The older I got, the more I evolved and realized that I needed to take control of what I was feeling. I wanted to be able to look in the mirror and feel confident to be who I am,” she shared. “Taking a break from social media was the best decision that I’ve ever made for my mental health. I created a system where I still don’t have my passwords. And the unnecessary hate and comparisons went away once I put my phone down. I’ll have moments where that weird feeling will come back, but now I have a much better relationship with myself.”

February 2022

“What keeps me going is knowing that if I continue using my voice and my platform to break the stigma around mental health, that I can reach young people who need to hear this message. That’s why I am so dedicated to not only raising funds through the Rare Impact Fund, but using my platforms to provide mental health resources to young people,” she told Create & Cultivate, per E! News. “We’re aiming to make real changes in the beauty industry by helping to break the stigma around mental health and increasing access to mental health support and services. There’s power deep down inside yourself, and you can find it when you don’t give up on yourself and when you can be vulnerable and ask for help.”

April 2022

The Disney alum revealed in an interview with Good Morning America that she’s been off of the internet for four and a half years. “It has changed my life completely. I am happier. I am more present, I connect more with people. It makes me feel normal.”

May 2022

Selena called for mental health to be “de-stigmatized” in a speech at the White House on May 18, 2022. “Just to throw in a little bit of my journey, I felt like once I found out what was going on mentally, I found that there was more freedom for me to be OK with what I had because I was learning about it,” she said.

“Bringing attention to mental health through media or just by talking about your journeys can help.”

June 2022

“I was, you know, obviously going through a really tough breakup, and then I was left with the question of my career and where am I gonna go and what’s gonna happen?” Selena said during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “And then my medical stuff kind of kicked in, but being on the other side of it, I have to be honest, it’s actually been really good for me.”

She added, “It was necessary for me to walk through those things, I had a lot of soul searching to do. By all means, I don’t have life figured out, but I do know that during that time I was learning so much about myself.”

October 2022

Selena opened up on her mental health journey in her upcoming documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, sharing, “I think my past and my mistakes is what drives me into depression.”

“As nervous as I am to put out something this personal, in my heart I know now is this time,” she told Vanity Fair of her documentary, out in November 2022. “I hope that by sharing my experience and difficulties, it will help people feel inspired to share their own stories. And to have hope that things can and will get better.

November 2022

“I’m going to be very open with everybody about this: I’ve been to four treatment centers,” Selena told Rolling Stone ahead of her My Mind & Me documentary release. “I think when I started hitting my early twenties is when it started to get really dark, when I started to feel like I was not in control of what I was feeling, whether that was really great or really bad.”

She continued, “It would start with depression, then it would go into isolation. Then it just was me not being able to move from my bed. I didn’t want anyone to talk to me. My friends would bring me food because they love me, but none of us knew what it was. Sometimes it was weeks I’d be in bed, to where even walking downstairs would get me out of breath. … I thought the world would be better if I wasn’t there.”

February 2023

Selena spoke candidly about making the decision to publicly share her bipolar disorder diagnosis.

“Maybe it was weird and uncomfortable for other people, and obviously I was worried, but I think it finally allowed me to start being open about everything. It’s not that I was kind of sad — I actually have things that are chemically imbalanced in my brain, and I need to understand what that is, take care of it, and nurture it,” she told Vanity Fair. “I’m not ashamed of it. I don’t ever feel, even for five seconds, that I’m crazy. My thoughts tend to ruminate, but it’s up to me to be proud of who I am and to take care of myself.”

July 2023

For her 31st birthday, Selena wrote an Instagram caption where she opened up about her Rare Impact Fund, which provides mental health services.

“I am thankful for so much in my life and one of the things I am most thankful for is the work we’ve been able to do with the Rare Impact Fund through @Rarebeauty. Because of YOU we’ve been able to raise awareness and increase access to mental health services for young people. This is my true passion in life. People keep asking me what I want for my birthday, and I tell everyone the same thing please do not get me anything but if you want to do something for my birthday, please donate to the Rare Impact Fund. If you have the means, consider donating to help us make a difference.”