Why Selena Gomez Considers Vulnerability Surrounding Mental Health ‘Scary’ — and ‘Not for the Faint of Heart’

Opening up about her mental health journey was not an easy thing for Selena Gomez — but she did it for the greater good.

In a new interview published with Billboard Español  on Thursday April 24, Gomez revealed why its crucial for her to continue to advocate for mental health.

“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,” Gomez, 32, who’s being honored as Woman of the Year at the 2025 Billboard Latin Women in Music event on Thursday, May 1.

Still, “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,” she said.

The “Lose You to Love Me” singer recalled the first time she decided to be open about her journey — and the fear she experienced.

“It was scary to be that vulnerable and I didn’t ever want anyone to think I am a victim,” she said.

Gomez continued, “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.”

In the past, Gomez has been open about her mental health and threw her third-annual Rare Beauty Mental Health summit last May.

Meanwhile, in October 2023, she hosted her first annual Rare Impact Fund Benefit at Nya Studios in Hollywood to raise money for youth mental health organizations.

At the event, she revealed during her speech that getting involved “stemmed from some of the darkest moments in my life.”

“I struggled with the world inside my head for a long time and I felt lost and I felt hopeless at times. And in 2020, I received my diagnosis of bipolar disorder. And to be honest, everything quickly changed,” Gomez said. 

“I actually got the knowledge and the answers that I had been desperate for for so long. And understanding that obviously makes me become more aware of it and I’m less afraid than I used to be.” 

Gomez’s 2022 documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me also took a deep dive into her mental health setbacks and triumphs.