Selena Gomez on Going Public With Mental Health Struggles: ‘I Didn’t Ever Want Anyone to Think I Am a Victim’

In a new interview with Billboard, Selena Gomez celebrated the many moments of success ahead of her, as well as behind her in the past year. She also touched on some of the biggest challenges of her career and personal life. Gomez’s newest album with fiancé Benny Blanco, I Said I Love You First, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart and she is set to be honored at Billboard and Telemundo’s annual Latin Women in Music gala with the Woman of the Year award.

But in the interview, Gomez focused on the importance of using her success to speak on issues that matter to her, like producing the 2019 docuseries Living Undocumented, about the difficulties of immigration in the U.S., and raising money to support mental health for young people.

“At the end of the day I believe it matters to be vocal about issues that matter to you, whether you are famous or not,” she explained. “It’s not for the faint of heart, because you are putting yourself out there and trust me there will be a lot of opinions that come at you for even having the nerve to say anything at all.”

Gomez added, “I remember when I decided to be open about my own personal mental health, it was scary to be that vulnerable and I didn’t ever want anyone to think I am a victim. I thought [that] by sharing my own story I could help others, and I will take any negative opinions that come with that because I see the bigger picture of how the conversations have changed around mental health.”

She did give some advice to anyone in the music or entertainment industry who feels judged for their opinions and personal life.

“Blocking out the noise and being true to yourself,” Gomez said. “The noise can be overwhelming, and I am not saying it’s easy but by doing that and not compromising who you are, it goes a long way.”