Selena Gomez’s candidness and openness about her mental health have served as an inspiration for many, encouraging them to follow in her footsteps.
On Oct 4, the Monte Carlo star hosted her first annual Rare Impact Fund Benefit to help raise money for mental health organizations. Her fund has worked with brands like FOCUS (Families OverComing Under Stress), Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services, and more, offering grants and donation money often.
During the event held at Nya Studios in Hollywood, via MSN, she remarked that starting this fund was “probably the most important thing that I’ve ever done.” During her speech, she said this lifelong dream “stemmed from some of the darkest moments in my life.” She said, “I struggled with the world inside my head for a long time and I felt lost and I felt hopeless at times. And in 2020, I received my diagnosis of bipolar disorder. And to be honest, everything quickly changed.”
“With that knowledge, I could seek out the support I needed to be myself, to find my joy again,” she said. “And tonight I’m very proud to say that I have and I’ve been working really hard every day and I’m so happy just to be alive and to be here with you guys today.”
Gomez is one of a few celebrities who’ve spoken out about having bipolar disorder, speaking about what happens when one is diagnosed, the ups, the downs, and more.
In the past year alone, around 2.8 percent of U.S. adults were diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which the NIMH classifies as “dramatic shifts in mood, energy, and activity levels that affect a person’s ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.”
Now, please see your psychiatrist for a diagnosis if you think you may have bipolar disorder, and if you bring it up, you will have to do one or more of the following such as a physical exam, a psychiatric assessment, mood charting, and more, per Mayo Clinic.
We love that Gomez has been vulnerable about her journey, and we also adore that she was able to create her lifelong dream of a mental health fund that’s clearly changing the mental health world.
