Demi Lovato reveals she was relieved to receive bipolar diagnosis

Just halfway through Mental Health Awareness Month, Demi Lovato is opening up about her mental health journey. While speaking at the Hollywood & Mind Summit on Thursday in Los Angeles, the singer got candid about her experience with bipolar disorder, gender fluidity, and dealing with fame.

The 30-year-old singer explained how she was “relieved” to learn about her bipolar diagnosis as it explained why she experiences the emotions she did. In 2011, Lovato publicly revealed that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

What is Bipolar disorder?

Bipolar disorder, formerly known as manic depression, is a mental health condition characterized by extreme mood swings. Individuals with bipolar disorder experience episodes of mania, which are periods of elevated mood, increased energy, and impulsive behavior, as well as episodes of depression, which involve feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest in activities.

Lovato has previously used her platform as a celebrity to raise awareness about mental health issues. She has been an advocate for mental health, sharing her own experiences and promoting self-care, acceptance, and seeking help for those struggling with similar conditions.

Relieved to be diagnosed

“I was so relieved that I had finally had a diagnosis,” Lovato, who previously said in her 2021 ‘Dancing with the Devil’ documentary that she was initially misdiagnosed. “I had spent so many years struggling, and I didn’t know why I was a certain way in dealing with depression at such extreme lows, when I seemingly had the world in front of me just ripe with opportunities.

“It was things like, I remember being 15-years-old on a tour bus and watching fans follow my bus with posters and trying to get me to wave outside the window. And all I could do was just sit there and cry. And I remember being in the back of my tour bus watching my fans and crying and being like, ‘Why am I so unhappy?’ "

Lovato also explained why she has been so open about her diagnosis and how she wants to help others prioritize their mental health.

“I knew that if I could help others with their journey, then that’s exactly what I wanted to do,” she said. “And so I decided to be open and honest about what I had finally learned about myself.”