Adding to a list of shocking and heartbreaking revelations, Demi Lovato sat down with Dr. Phil for an interview where she detailed her struggles with mental health, substance abuse, and how she’s been fighting off suicidal thoughts since she was merely 7 years old.
The special, which aired last night, gave Lovato a platform to touch on all the ways she’s had to find inner strength since first dealing with dangerous thoughts as a child.
“The very first time I was suicidal was when I was seven. I had this fascination with death,” she told Dr. Phil. “I have experienced things that I have not talked about, and I don’t know if I ever will talk about. But at seven, I knew that if I were to take my own life, that the pain would end.”
Lovato has been transparent in the past about the onset of her substance abuse, which acted as a numbing agent to offset the excessive bullying she endured during her childhood. She explained that bullying is one of the things that brought suicidal thoughts back to mind. “When I was bullied when I was 12, I turned to drugs and alcohol. At the rate that I was using and drinking, I wasn’t going to live a long life,” Lovato said.
The singer talked about how she quickly turned to cutting, and at the height of her self-harm, her mother would fear every morning that she had taken it too far. “Every time I cut, it got deeper and deeper,” the 25-year-old shared.
Despite all her success in combating her troubles, her eating disorder is still a weakness she finds difficult to control. “I feel like I’ve conquered my addiction and alcoholism, where I don’t even think about it anymore. But my struggles with my food issues are something that I still deal with,” she told Dr. Phil.
It’s moments like this Dr. Phil interview that are becoming reminiscent of Lovato’s profile as an activist for mental health and self-love. In her interview, she told viewers, “If I could tell anybody that’s thinking about taking their own life, it’s to reach out to people. Don’t hold it inside; don’t isolate. Every single person on this planet is worth life.”
Lovato continues to be the face of candor and advocacy in pop culture, and I confidently throw my support behind her.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)