We can’t deny the fact that we have several influencers we can follow these days – but few are brave enough to speak up about their mental health issues. Back then, there was often a stigma that if you have a mental health condition, you are, unfortunately, just “crazy”.
Thanks to celebrities like Selena Gomez, we have taken a step closer to normalizing several psychological and psychiatric illnesses. Now that we know that Selena Gomez has bipolar disorder, it is now easier for many to talk about this disease and how it affects millions of people in America and around the world.
Bipolar disorder, in a nutshell:
Back then, almost only those who were hallucinating or had imaginary friends (or enemies) were the ones who needed psychiatric evaluation – and that’s if those people were lucky! — the main option for those who suffered from mental disorders was then to have them institutionalized.
Fortunately, since even medicine is evolving, we now know of things like bipolar disorder; the condition was called “manic depression” at the time (but it was eventually changed because not everyone was exclusively manic or exclusively depressed). Bipolar disorder is also said to be caused by chemical imbalances in the brain.
Bipolar disorder, as you may have guessed, has two predominant characteristics – those who suffer from this condition can either be overconfident one second and then worryingly glum the next. But these signs are not always obvious because they are not always extreme. However, it is still important to keep an eye out for someone struggling with this disorder.
Here are some of the signs and symptoms to look out for:
Manic episodes
- Being excessively talkative
- Delusions of grandeur (or they think they are “godfathers” or they believe they have a purpose that goes beyond just existing – or they believe they are the next “Messiah”)
- barely sleep
- barely eat
- They have way too many ideas (mostly quirky)
- Impulsive
- Irritable
Depressive episodes
- Feelings of worthlessness
- Suicidal
- Either they sleep too much or too little
- They can also eat too much or too little
- Not motivated enough to function as a “normal” person should and would
Selena Gomez has bipolar disorder…but who else has it?
Bipolar disorder is a complex condition that cannot be easily identified. You may think a person is an innovator, a genius, or a creative – when in reality they are going through an episode. So diagnosing a person (or a celebrity) should be entirely up to a professional.
However, some stars have opened up about their bipolar disorder in the past. We already know that Selena Gomez has bipolar disorder, but some celebrities also live with it — like Britney Spears, Demi Lovato, Kanye West, Mariah Carey, Halsey — and even the idols we’ve lost. Like Carrie Fisher, Kurt Cobain and Vincent Van Gogh!
As you can see,
Some of the celebrities we already know have been struggling with bipolar disorder for quite some time now. And it probably took them a while to get their diagnosis (it usually takes a while before someone else notices that someone with a mental health issue has a problem — the person with it the seldom notices itself).
Thus, it is important to pay attention to your loved ones and see if their erratic behavior is due to their innate personality or if they have an undiagnosed mental illness. If you’re not sure, there’s nothing wrong with having yourself or your loved ones examined by a professional.
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