Selena Gomez’s Loved Ones Recall the Singer’s Psychotic Break in 2018: ‘It’s a Miracle She Got Out’
Selena Gomez has always been very open about her mental health struggles, as well as her battle with lupus. In a new documentary, My Mind & Me, Gomez and her loved ones recall her scary psychotic break in 2018.
The events that led to Selena Gomez’s psychotic break in 2018
Gomez’s trouble started as she tried to launch her Revival Tour, a series of concerts supporting her 2015 album of the same name. The documentary shows that Gomez was struggling before the tour even started.
In one scene, she cries after doing a run-through of the show, saying she doesn’t like the costumes and kept looking up at the screen and thinking everything looked “shitty.” Gomez said that this negative voice in her head made her not want to perform and “sucks the life out of” her.
Gomez talked about her fears of being seen as a “Disney kid,” letting down Interscope CEO John Janick, and being forever seen as her past, including her tumultuous relationship with pop star Justin Bieber.
Despite the rocky start, Gomez went on with the tour, but after 55 dates, she and her team canceled the remaining dates out of fear for her mental health.
Her former assistant Theresa said, according to Glamour, “At one point, she’s like, ‘I don’t want to be alive right now. I don’t want to live … And it was one of those moments where you look in her eyes, and there’s nothing there, just pitch-black. It’s so scary.”
Selena Gomez’s friend recalls that the singer was ‘hearing all of these voices’
Gomez and her friends and family worked to figure out what was wrong but couldn’t come up with any answers. Things started getting worse, and two years later, the star started hearing voices.
“She was hearing all of these voices,” her friend Raquelle explained of that time. “They kept getting louder and louder and louder. That triggered some sort of psychotic break.”
This break led to a rehab stint for Gomez. She checked into a psychiatric hospital, where she was treated for psychosis. This psychosis led to the star lashing out at her loved ones and suffering uncontrollable mood swings.
Selena Gomez’s mother says it was a ‘miracle’ she survived this time
Gomez was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which she said has helped her handle her feelings and explain past behavior. The actor has been very open about her gratitude for receiving a diagnosis but admits she often feels guilty about her behavior.
“It’s a miracle she got out,” Gomez’s mother, Mandy Teefey, explained. “But there’s always the fear it’s going to happen again, and it hurt us so much.”
How is Selena Gomez doing today?
Today, Gomez is doing much better and talks openly about her diagnosis. In a speech for the McLean Psychiatric Hospital annual dinner, the singer discussed her journey and what she’s learned from her struggles.
“I am happier, I am healthier, and I am in control of my emotions and thoughts more than I have ever been,” Gomez stated. “I also struggle with my own thoughts and feelings at times. But this does not make me faulty, this does not make me weak. This does not make me less than. This makes me human.”
