Selena Gomez launches mental health initiative to ’empower young people’

May 1 (Bang Showbiz) – In a message posted to the social media site, Selena said: “Today, I’m so grateful that we get to launch Mental Health 101. This campaign is so close to my heart because of my own struggles with mental health. I know first hand how scary and lonely it can feel to face anxiety and depression by yourself at a young age. If I had learned about my mental health earlier on – been taught about my condition in school the way I was taught about other subjects – my journey could have looked very different.

“The world needs to know that mental health matters. It’s just as important as your physical health, and I wish we could acknowledged that, not just in words but through our actions.

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“For anyone who is hurting right now, I hope you know that you are not alone. I’m a believer in seeking help. Getting support and educating myself on mental health has changed my life, and it can change yours, too.

“I hope that Mental Health 101 will be the stepping stones for others that I wish I had… to get connected to the resources they need, and to empower young people in ways that may not have been possible before.

“I hope you’ll join me in supporting this initiative and being part of the change. (sic)”

Selena revealed last year she has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, after visiting McLean Hospital, one of the best mental health institutions in the United States.

She said at the time: “I went to one of the best mental hospitals in America, McLean’s Hospital, and I discussed that after years of going through a lot of different things, I realised that I was bipolar.”

And although the diagnosis was scary to come to terms with, the ‘Lose You To Love Me’ singer insisted gathering information on the topic helped her come to terms with the illness.

She added: “When I have more information, it actually helps me, it doesn’t scare me once I know it … When I finally said what I was going to say, I wanted to know everything about it and it took the fear away.

“When I was younger, I was scared of thunderstorms and my mom bought me all these books on thunderstorms and she was like, ‘The more you educate yourself on this, the more that you’re not going to be afraid.’ It completely worked. That’s something that helps me big time.”

The Samaritans offer support and advice to people feeling suicidal or vulnerable 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Their website is https://www.samaritans.org, email address [email protected] or call free on 116 123.

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