Selena Gomez and husband Benny Blanco candidly discussed treatment for bipolar disorder.
Gomez appeared on Tuesday’s episode of Blanco’s “Friends Keep Secrets” podcast in conversation with her best friend Lil Dicky, whose wife and former Disney Channel star Kristin Battalucco opened up about her own mental health struggles.
She described being diagnosed with bipolar disorder as “very complicated” and explained that her journey included multiple therapists and four different rehabs.
Blanco, 37, said his wife sometimes had “manic episodes,” but he didn’t know what they were at the time.
“She then starts to realize that she’s going through it, but sometimes she doesn’t even remember when it’s happening,” he shared. “It’s a very sensitive thing, because you technically shouldn’t talk to someone about it while they’re deep in it, and even when you’re dating her, she’s very conscious.”
“She’ll say, ‘I think I’m a little manic.'”
Ms Gomez, 33, said there was no shame in having a manic episode and that recognizing a manic episode for what it is can help identify it sooner.
“But it helps to have a partner who understands what the temperature is and meets you where you are, so you can gradually understand what’s going on,” she said of the swing.
Gomez also said her diagnosis gave her “freedom” to live her life and helped her understand her reactions to things.
“I acted out of fear, I acted out of love, I acted out of passion. All of it was inconsistent,” she recalled. “It was crazy.”
The “Hands to Myself” singer first revealed that she has bipolar disorder in 2020, after publicly suffering from depression in 2018.
Back in October 2024, she said that on days when her mental health is bad, there are only one or two people around her that she can trust.
“It’s scary sometimes to isolate yourself when you’re not feeling well. I think you have all these thoughts,” she said in an Instagram interview with influencer Rami Bader. “But when I’m around people who make me feel good and make me feel like I can say anything, that always helps me.”
She told Vanity Fair in September 2024 that she is now “adequately medicated” and also uses temperature (which can include cold water and heating) as a “healing mechanism” when her physical and mental health deteriorates.
The pop star said the different temperatures felt “comfortable at different times” depending on her needs.
