Demi Lovato Gets Simply Honest about Depression and Bipolar Disorder in New Documentary

Demi Lovato appeared this week on The Ellen Show to discuss her new You Tube documentary “Simply Complicated, premiering on October 17. According to show host Ellen DeGeneres, Lovato is forthcoming and “brutally honest” about her battle with an “eating disorder, drugs, everything.”

Lovato added that she suffers from “depression,” and took the opportunity to talk more about her bipolar disorder diagnosis. “I talk about everything that I’ve been through and how it’s turned me into the person that I am today.” Lovato says she went through “years and years of not knowing what was wrong with me and knowing that something was off.”

As part of her ongoing effort to erase the stigma of her diagnosis and to help educate the public on the effects of mental illness, Lovato has collaborated with Be Vocal, an organization “encouraging people across America to use their voice in support of mental health.” According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), bipolar disorder affects “5.7 million adults over age 18,” or just over two and a half percent of the population.

Lovato was diagnosed at age 18, and notes that living with the disorder has “impacted me by keeping me accountable for my mental health, making sure I take care of myself and raising my voice for other people. There’s a lot of negative stigma when it comes to discussing mental illness. My goal with Be Vocal is to help change that.”

For more information on bipolar disorder, visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

Sources: The Ellen Show, Extra TV, Be Vocal, NIMH