During a candid chat with Miley Cyrus on an Instagram Live show, the 'Lose You to Love Me' hitmaker also opens up about what helps her cope during self-isolation amid the coronavirus pandemic.

• Apr 4, 2020

AceShowbiz - Selena Gomez has revealed she's battling bipolar disorder.

The singer and actress shared the news with pal Miley Cyrus during a candid chat on the "Wrecking Ball" hitmaker's "Bright Minded" Instagram Live show on Friday, April 03, explaining she learned about her mental health condition during a visit to Massachusetts' McLean Hospital.

Gomez told her friend and viewers that the more information she gathered about being bipolar, the easier it was to deal with the diagnosis.

"When I have more information, it actually helps me," she said. "It doesn't scare me once I know it... When I finally said what I was going to say, I wanted to know everything about it and it took the fear away."

"When I was younger, I was scared of thunderstorms and my mom bought me all these books on thunderstorms and she was like, 'The more you educate yourself on this, the more that you're not going to be afraid'. It completely worked. That's something that helps me big time."

Selena has been battling her mental health issues for years and sought out treatment at McLean Hospital in 2018 when her battle with depression and anxiety became overwhelming.

She bounced back and accepted the 2019 McLean Award at the hospital's annual dinner in September (2019).

In her acceptance speech she fought back tears as she recalled her darkest moment: "I think that we are better when we tell the truth and, so, this is my truth," she said. "Last year, I was suffering mentally and emotionally, and I wasn't able to stay all that kept together (sic). I wasn't able to hold a smile or to keep things normal."

"It felt like all of my pain and my anxiety washed over me all at once and it was one of the scariest moments of my life."

And Selena admitted she was so relieved when she learned what was wrong with her: "(I was) terrified, obviously, because the veil was lifted, but relieved that I finally had the knowledge of why I had suffered for so many years with depression and anxiety."

"After a year of a lot of intense work... I am happier, I am healthier, and I am in control of my emotions and thoughts more than I've ever been. So, I'm very happy about that."

During her chat with Miley on Friday, Selena, who is also battling lupus, revealed the tools she has used in therapy, as she learns to live with her mental issues, are helping her cope during self-isolation amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"This is where we test each other," she told Cyrus. "How are we gonna treat each other? This can be a time to be gentle with ourselves. Taking breaks from the noise and even social media... Just being outside and breathing in."

"I think talking through what you're feeling is extremely helpful. Sometimes I have to feel it, sometimes I've got to cry it out and release it, and just take a deep breath. I'm a big empath, so I feel so much of what the world is feeling. Being there for other people actually helps me, too."