Demi Lovato Named ‘Warrior For Mental Wellness’
Just this weekend, CNN named Demi Lovato a “warrior for mental wellness.”
CNN: Mental Wellness Warriors: Fighting For Those Who Need It Most #1. Demi Lovato http://t.co/to4XIMt2xq pic.twitter.com/8VYAvFy601
— Demi Lovato News (@justcatchmedemi) January 19, 2015
The “Give Your Heart a Break” singer has become known for her openness with her own mental wellness struggles. Lovato topped CNN’s list of nine mental wellness warriors “fighting for better treatment and working to defy stigma” now instead of waiting for when tragedy strikes.
Lovato went public with her struggles with mental health back in 2014, when she openly discussed her struggles with having bipolar disorder.
With such a stigma on mental health issues, why would Lovato go public with such struggles?
“I want to show the world that there is life — surprising, wonderful and unexpected life — after diagnosis,” she said.
In September of 2014, Lovato spoke at the “Call to Action” day sponsored by the National Alliance on Mental Illness. At the speaking engagement, Lovato told the audience that mental illness shows “no prejudice” and affects people of “every race, age, gender, religion and economic status.” Lovato’s message was also for government leaders and policy makers, saying that they have to realize that “mental health matters and must be taken seriously.”
Lovato admitted that her diagnosis of bipolar disorder was a “relief in so many ways,” explaining the pain she had been through for so many years.
Lovato said that she sees the need for more to be done for mental wellness because, “Even with access to so much, my journey has not been an easy one.”
Lovato added that with the help of a therapist and medication, she has been doing better, although “it doesn’t always happen at once.”
Lovato was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2011, when she sought treatment for an eating disorder.
The star revealed to Us Magazine her struggle, saying, “I was conquering the world, but then I would come crashing down, and I would be more depressed than ever.”
It was on the South African leg of her Camp Rock 2 tour that Lovato’s family said something. Lovato was suffering from bulimia and was cutting. Lovato even struck one of her back-up dancers.
It was at that time that her family sat her down and said, “You can’t live like this.”
With Demi Lovato coming forward, many mental health advocates hope that her openness can bridge the gap and remove the stigma of many of today’s youth who are suffering from mental health issues in silence.
#grouphugs How do you show compassion? #color2015 @mysecretcolor pic.twitter.com/au69Y3irz4 — Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) January 16, 2015
Demi Lovato hopes to be an inspiration to all of those suffering from mental health issues.
[Photo Courtesy of Themeplus]
