When my friend and I went to see Demi Lovato in concert back in March, my perspective of Demi radically changed. Although I have always enjoyed her music and the positive messages that she always tries to convey to her fans, seeing her in concert was better than I could have imagined, not only was it beautiful, it was also very therapeutic. In addition to singing, Demi also focused on spreading positivity and positive messages about mental health awareness, using her own experiences with addiction and bipolar disorder as examples.

So, when the news broke about Demi's recent drug overdose, I was utterly shocked, to say the least. When I first heard about what happened, I was on the verge of tears. I have realized that not only was Demi's overdose a tragedy, but it was also a cry for help. In fact, after the news broke, I began to question why something this horrible would happen to someone who is so talented and has so much going for her. After considering what had happened, specifically Demi's relapse into drug use, I realized that a lot of it can be attributed to fame. Even when considering Demi's past with addiction, it can be traced back to when she first started to become "popular" and attain fame. While I know that it would be foolish to attribute all of her issues with addiction and mental health to becoming famous, a good chunk of her issues can be.

You see, when someone is thrust into the limelight at a very young age like Demi was, the world of Hollywood and all of what it is accompanied by most likely will have a major effect on the individual. Now, while the youngsters can definitely be positively influenced by the world of Hollywood, unfortunately being so young and vulnerable and being in the spotlight isn't always so glamorous. It is almost inevitable that young people in the entertainment industry will be exposed to certain things earlier than most kids their age. Unfortunately, drugs and alcohol are more popular than they should be among famous people, and that includes many of the young people of Hollywood, Lindsay Lohan, Brittany Spears, and Demi Lovato, to name a few.

Actually, it can be said that in order to deal with the overwhelming nature of the entertainment industry as well as many other negative effects of being in the spotlight at such a young age, many of the industry's young talent feel as if they have no other choice but to turn to drugs and alcohol, which says something about the importance of counseling not just for famous young people, but for young people in general. Simply put, the stigma surrounding mental health is heightened in the entertainment industry. So, in terms of Demi's ongoing battle with addiction, even though she has received help for it and spoken publicly about it in the past, maybe she didn't want to deal with the stigma on mental health and how that could potentially impact her reputation in the industry further. This situation with Demi perfectly illustrates that Hollywood isn't all glitz and glamour, it isn't quite like how the media tends to portray it.