Demi Lovato’s advice for anyone struggling with mental health? Just start talking
If you don’t know where to start and could use some wise words about mental health, Demi Lovato has you covered.
As someone who herself has been straightforward about her challenges with addiction, eating disorders, and general challenges with mental health, the actress and singer got candid for New York Magazine about the advice she’d give to others who are trying to make sense of their mental health. And at the root, it’s a (physically) simple concept.
“The advice I’d give to somebody that’s silently struggling is, you don’t have to live that way,” Demi told New York Magazine. “You don’t have to struggle in silence. You can be un-silent. You can live well with a mental-health condition, as long as you open up to somebody about it, because it’s really important you share your experience with people so that you can get the help that you need.”
At its core, her advice is simple. Just talk about it.
But obviously, this is way easier said than done.
Demi — who is the spokesperson for Be Vocal, an organization “encouraging people across America to use their voice in support of mental health” — recently executive produced a new documentary called Beyond Silence, which you can watch for free online, that focuses on mental health.
A post shared by Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) on Feb 22, 2017 at 2:56pm PST
The documentary stars three individuals who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia, depression and bipolar disorder, chronicling their similarities and differences — and importantly, being candid about the realities of living with a mental illness.
“I decided to become an advocate for mental health because there was nobody talking about it at the time,” Demi says. “I went through kind of a breakdown about six years ago and I found out I was bipolar, and I thought, There’s nobody talking about this. There must be a reason why I’m going through this, and maybe the reason is so that I could help others.“
A post shared by Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) on Feb 23, 2017 at 4:50pm PST
Demi continues to be encouraging of those who are seeking answers and learning to cope with their diagnoses, insisting that communication is key to living your best life.
She adds, “What I hope people can learn from the documentary is that you don’t have to struggle and you don’t have to suffer…Something that I’m hoping to change by making this documentary is creating conversation and hopefully spreading the awareness of mental health, and that it is just as important as physical health.”
We are so happy Demi is such a powerful voice in this cause that is so close to her, and are going to be applauding for a long time about how positive, honest, and supportive she is to those going through similar struggles.
We <3 you Demi. Thank you for taking deliberate strides toward spreading awareness about such an important subject.
