Selena Gomez opens up on the 'relief' she felt when diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder

Selena Gomez opened up about being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The Disney alum recently graced the cover of ELLE's September issue and shared some stunning pictures on her Instagram handle as well. The Rare Beauty founder spoke candidly about her sense of relief upon finding out about her diagnosis, which was revealed last year. Selena Gomez will next appear in the Hulu comedy Only Murders in the Building alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short, which will release on August 31.

Selena Gomez talks about being diagnosed with Bipolar disorder

In her recent interview with Elle Magazine for the cover, Selena Gomez once again discussed her struggles with mental health. The Lose You to Love Me singer has often taken to her platform to spread awareness about mental health and is often considered a champion of mental health awareness. She said:

 I felt a huge weight lifted off me when I found out. I could take a deep breath and go, 'Okay, that explains so much. There were all things that honestly should have taken me down. Every time I went through something, I was like, 'What else? What else am I going to have to deal with?'

Since 2014, Selena has been through several major events in her personal life which included her 2014 lupus diagnosis, a kidney transplant, chemotherapy and her highly publicised break-ups with Justin Bieber and The Weeknd. Gomez spoke about how when she needed to move forward she would tell herself that she was "going to help people," admitting how it kept her going. She also admittedly added, "There could have been a time when I wasn't strong enough, and would have done something to hurt myself." 

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, bipolar disorder is a mental disorder that "causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, concentration, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks." Speaking about going off of social media for a while, Gomez said: 

I'm like, 'I've got to do something [more]. After I'm gone, I want people to remember me for my heart. This tiny little phone that had 150 million people on it – I just put it down. That was such a relief for me.

Selena Gomez, who has often shown support for mental health awareness, also launched the Rare Impact Fund along with her cosmetics line Rare Beauty, which is aiming to raise $100 million over the next 10 years to connect people in underserved communities with mental health services.

IMAGE: AP