We can’t deny the fact that we have several influencers we can follow these days — but not many are courageous enough to open up about their mental health struggles. Back then, there was often a stigma that if you have a mental health disorder, you’re, sadly, just “crazy.”

Thanks to celebrities like Selena Gomez, we’re one step further to normalizing several psychological and psychiatric diseases. Now that we know Selena Gomez has Bipolar Disorder, it’s now easier for many to talk about this condition and how it affects millions of people in America and around the world.

Bipolar Disorder, in a nutshell:

Back then, almost only those who hallucinated or had imaginary friends (or enemies) were the ones who needed psychiatric evaluation — and that is if those people were lucky! — the primary option for those who suffered from mental health conditions then was to have them institutionalized.

Thankfully, since even medicine is evolving, we now know about things like Bipolar Disorder; the condition was called “manic depression” back then (but it was eventually changed because not everyone was exclusively manic nor solely depressed). It’s also said that Bipolar Disorder is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain.

Bipolar disorder, as you may have guessed, has two predominant characteristics — those who suffer from this condition may either be overly confident one second then concerningly morose the next. But these signs aren’t always evident as they’re not always on the extreme side. However, it’s still important to keep an eye on a person who’s dealing with this disorder.

Here are some of the signs and symptoms you should watch out for:

Manic episodes

  • Being excessively talkative
  • Delusions of grandeur (or they think they’re “godsent” or they believe that have a purpose that’s beyond just existing — or they believe they’re the next “Messiah”)
  • Barely sleeping
  • Hardly eating
  • They have way too many (most of the time, eccentric) ideas
  • Impulsive
  • Irritable

Depressive episodes

  • Feelings of worthlessness
  • Suicidal
  • Either they’re sleeping too much or too little
  • They may also eat either too much or too little
  • Not motivated enough to function like how a “normal” person should and would

Selena Gomez Has Bipolar Disorder…but, who else has it?

Bipolar Disorder is a complex condition that can’t easily be identified. You may think that one person is an innovator, genius, or creative — when in reality, they’re actually having an episode. So diagnosing a person (or celeb) should entirely be up to a professional.

However, some stars opened up about their Bipolar Disorder in the past. We’re already made aware that Selena Gomez has Bipolar Disorder but some celebrities also live life with this disorder — like Britney Spears, Demi Lovato, Kanye West, Mariah Carey, Halsey — and even the idols we lost. Like Carrie Fisher, Kurt Cobain, and Vincent van Gogh!

As you can see,

Some of the celebrities we’re already familiar with have been dealing with Bipolar Disorder for a while now. And it also probably took them a while to get their diagnosis (it usually takes a while before someone else notices that a person with a mental health problem has a problem — the person suffering from it seldomly notices it themselves).

Thus, it’s important to look out for your loved ones and see if their erratic behavior is because of their innate personality or if they have an undiagnosed mental health illness. If you’re not sure, know that there’s nothing wrong with having yourself — or your loved ones — be looked at by a professional.

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