It's no secret about what happened to Selena Gomez earlier this month, and it's no secret that just because she's a celebrity, her 'mental breakdown' is taken as a joke. Because, she's famous, she's rich, what could she be depressed about? It's surprising to me, living in 2018, that there are still a ton of misinformation and negativity towards people who suffer from mental illnesses.
Mental illnesses are extremely different from physical illnesses. Depressed or anxious people don't choose to wake up and act out, act differently, secluded, 'antsy', distant, cold, or disinterested.
It is a chemical imbalance in their brain that, to put it simply, sets off the fire alarm that something is terribly wrong. This can occur whether you're at the highest point in your life, if you're old or young, if you're rich or poor. Why? Because mental illness does not discriminate.
Out of all the celebrity spirals I have seen, Selena's is by far the one that hits the closest to home. She was always seen as the 'medium' celebrity. The one that looked like she had it all together. The one that went out of her way to help others and make use of her voice as a public figure. She is a lot like your girl next door, who could also be suffering from some kind of mental illness, just FYI.
It's no secret she also suffers from physical illnesses too, as she's been very candid about her struggles with Lupus, and that can take a toll on even the strongest willed person. Obviously, the back and forth from hospital to hospital, hoping this will be the last time you have a medical scare can wear down a person. It's even harder when you're in the spotlight AND you have those voices in the back of your head, screaming like sirens that something, everything, nothing is alright.
I'm not here to educate you on mental and physical illnesses, I'm not an expert and I don't claim to be. But I do suffer from severe anxiety, I do have good days where I think I'm cured, and other days where simply getting up and taking a shower seems impossible.
I'm not asking you to understand. I'm not asking you to have sympathy.
What I am asking, is that we all try to be a little kinder to ourselves, our friends, our families, strangers-- because we are all suffering something. And if there's one thing that's opened my eyes about Selena's breakdown, is that there is not enough kindness and consideration in this world.
Everyone is more interested in gossiping or putting each other down, and that is so counter-productive. Mental illness is hard, and it is strong. But if we all look after each other and spread kindness and positivity, mental illness wouldn't stand a chance.
