Selena Gomez says it was ‘freeing’ to be diagnosed as bipolar

‘I really want people to be understood and seen and heard. It’s okay to not be okay’

The actor and singer says she wants people to be understood, seen and heard (Getty Images for WarnerMedia)

Actor and singer Selena Gomez has shared that she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but is happier than she’s ever been.

The star has frequently spoken about navigating her mental health, and is set to launch a multimedia wellness company called Wondermind, with her mother Mandy Teefey and businesswoman Daniella Pierson.

When speaking on Good Morning America to promote the platform, which will allow anyone to work on their “mental fitness”, she said: “It was really freeing to have the information [of being diagnosed with bipolar disorder].”

“It made me really happy because I started to have a relationship with myself, and I think that’s the best part. Like, I’ve probably been the happiest I’ve ever been.”

Gomez revealed that for years she was concerned about her mental health, but only recently has figured out what’s really happening, with the help of her mum - who has ADHD - and mental health professionals.

She said: “I can’t believe I am where I am mentally, just because of how I took the necessary steps in order to kind of remove myself from that because it’s just not normal. I really want people to be understood and seen and heard. It’s okay to not be okay.”

Speaking to Instyle in January, she spoke of how Instagram became her “whole world” and was “dangerous”.

The 29-year-old has more than 310 million Instagram followers, making her one of the most-followed profiles.

She’s also previously talked about feeling insecure about her physical appearance, especially in her early 20s, and being constantly blighted by “unnecessary hate and comparisons”.

When featuring on Good Morning America, she also revealed how she has not used Instagram, or the internet in general, in four-and-a-half years, in a radical lifestyle overhaul.

Gomez said: “It has changed my life completely. I am happier, I am more present, I connect more with people. It makes me feel normal.”

Instead, she hires a team of people to run her accounts, and now her new mental health platform is intended to help those won’t can’t access therapy themselves.

She acknowledged that “[mental health resources] cost ridiculous amounts of money”, before adding: “But [like with] Planned Parenthood, there’s a place for women to feel okay and to feel understood, and I want that for mental health.

“I think it’s so important and I can’t stress it enough how much I care and how much I really, really want people to be understood, seen and heard.”