Selena Gomez Recalls 'Most Painful' Time in Her Life Ahead of Bipolar Diagnosis

Selena Gomez continues to be an advocate for mental health awareness thanks to the impact it had on her life. The 31-year-old pop star and actress revealed in 2020 that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a decision that she says her team advised against.

However, Gomez says she would "absolutely" make the decision to go public with her diagnosis again.

"Once I did, there was no taking it back. I was very proud," she told Hoda Kotb on Thursday's Today show.

Selena Gomez speaks onstage during the 2024 TIME100 Summit at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 24, 2024 in New York City.
Jemal Countess/Getty Images for TIME

"I wasn't understanding my mind," she explained. "I wasn't understanding my reactions and my emotions, and I think that was probably the most painful time in my life."

Despite being the most followed female in the world with 428 million followers on Instagram, Gomez shared that she has set some important boundaries to help protect her peace.

"I disabled all my comments for all my photos on Instagram for only my friends," she shared. "So I think I've created boundaries to help me. Obviously people fussed about it, but they fuss about everything, so, I just, I felt empowered by doing that, by saying, 'This is just for me.'"

The Rare Beauty founder also has someone special by her side these days, her boyfriend, music producer Benny Blanco.

Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco attend a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat at Crypto.com Arena on Jan. 3, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
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After Kotb praised Blanco, Gomez grinned, saying, "It feels wonderful. He's wonderful."

Last month, a source opened up to ET about the couple's sweet romance.

"Everyone can see that they have a loving relationship and both sides couldn't be more encouraging," the source noted of the couple's close circle, saying the relationship has "gotten very serious."

"Selena trusts him more than any other past romantic partner in her life," the source said. "They are very respectful of one another and their relationship is growing in positive ways."

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