Demi Lovato: Changing the Way We View Mental Health Issues
“There’s no point to living life unless you make history, and the best way to make history is to help others.” -Demi Lovato
In the past as a society we have not paid much attention to mental health issues, or have tried to keep them hidden. Previously, in the music and film industry it has been frowned upon for those of fame to discuss their personal issues, and to put on a front for their fans. Artists were expected to be viewed as perfect with no flaws, and that is why we looked up to them so much.
Demi Lovato has been one of the first extremely popular artists to express her mental health issues, and become an advocate for mental health awareness. When Demi was growing up as a Disney Channel superstar, she was suffering from Bipolar disorder, multiple eating disorders, and addiction. Yet this was not apparent to almost any of her fans. It was not until about three years ago when Demi began being more open with her fans in discussing her mental health issues, attempting to remove stigma from such issues.
Since then, Lovato has released a documentary (linked below) discussing her struggles with mental health titled, Demi Lovato: Simply Complicated. This was an hour and twenty minute long interview that truly gave us an inside view on Demi’s life. Lovato’s first line in the documentary states, “I actually had anxiety around this interview because the last time I did an interview this long, I was on cocaine.” Just from the first line you know that she is about to truly speak up about her mental illnesses and the hardships she has personally gone through. Often times, drugs and mental illnesses can be idealized and romanticized when it comes to people of fame, but Demi truly speaks out on the negativites that this has brought her and what she has done to overcome her heartbreaks.
Her full opening monologue is the following:
“I am Demi Lovato,” she says over a voiceover while clips from her life flash by. “I’m 25. The last decade has taught me a lifetime of lessons. I’ve learned that secrets make you sick. I’m learning how to be a voice and not a victim. I’ve learned that sex is natural. I’ve learned that love is necessary. Heartbreak is unavoidable, and loneliness is brutal. I’ve learned that the key to being happy is to tell your truth and be OK without all the answers. This is my story. This is Simply Complicated.”
During the film, she goes into detail about her addiction. The first time she did drugs (Adderall and cocaine) and started partying was when she was 17 years old, while working on her shoe Sonny with a Chance. She explained how she became dependent on drugs to get her through daily situations. She even goes into detail of how she and her manager believed she was on the road to becoming suicidal, not usually something people are so open about.
“I was not easy to work with. I was using while I had a sober companion, and I went through about 20 different sober companions. I didn’t feel anything. I didn’t feel guilty. I didn’t feel embarrassed. I would sneak out, get drugs. I would fake my drug tests with other people’s pee, and I’d lie straight to their faces. It’s embarrassing to look back at the person that I was.”
Demi knew she was at an all-time low, and her manager Phil McIntyre almost dropped her as an artist because of it.
Demi is now a leader of Be Vocal: Speak Up for Mental Health, an initiative that encourages people to share their stories of mental illness in order to help others. Demi has spoken about how the music industry and fame has had a great impact on her own personal issues. She spoke in front of the country’s top mental health organizations for the National Council of Behavioral Health Hill Day in Washington D.C. in 2015 right before the release of her previous album, Confident.
In 2017 Lovato also earned the award, Artistic Award Of Courage for campaigning mental health issues at the Open Mind Gala hosted by the Semel Institute for Neuroscience.
In a more recent interview with Mediaplanet, Demi was asked:
How can people living with mental health conditions speak up for themselves?
Demi: The most important thing to remember is that asking for help and speaking up for what you need is a sign of strength. For me, being open and honest with my doctor and others in my life is key. It was only when I spoke up about my full experience — both the depression and mania — that I was able to get the right diagnosis and find a treatment plan that was right for me.
Why are you speaking up about your experience with bipolar disorder?
Demi: There were so many times when I felt like I was alone, especially when I was dealing with bipolar depression. It was only when I finally hit rock bottom, started speaking up and got help that things started to change. As someone who has learned to live well with bipolar disorder, I really want to share with others that there can be life on the other side of hard times.
Demi has spoken about how the music industry and fame has had a great impact on her own personal issues. She spoke in front of the country’s top mental health organizations for the National Council of Behavioral Health Hill Day in Washington D.C.
On her most recent tour Tell Me You Love Me, Demi has partnered with CAST, to offer free mental health sessions on her tour dates. Lovato says this is just one way she can give back to her fans and she thinks that this is a very important part of her tour.
In the past we have known artists such as Amy Winehouse, Heath Ledger, and many more who have died because of mental illness and addiction. Lovato along with other stars are paving the way for people to speak out about their mental illnesses and understand that you can get help.
“The best advice I can give is to speak up if you’re struggling and remember that a diagnosis doesn’t define you. There is no magic formula to living well with a mental health condition. Everyone’s process and treatment is different, which is why it’s so important to speak up so you can partner with your support team to find what works for you.”
-Demi Lovato
