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On Wednesday, news surfaced that actress and singer Selena Gomez is seeking mental health treatment.
The 26-year-old has been vocal about her struggles with mental health and lupus. A source recently told CBS that she has been struggling with depression since undergoing a kidney transplant last year.
Here’s what we know:
*Note: This post will be updated with more information as it becomes available.
1. She Announced She Was Taking a Break from Social Media Two Weeks Ago
Two weeks ago, the 26-year-old actress took to Instagram to write that she would be taking a break from social media.
She wrote, “Mood lol (I was looking at myself in the mirror -like an idiot!) Update: taking a social media break. Again. As much as I am grateful for the voice that social media gives each of us, I am equally grateful to be able to step back and live my life present to the moment I have been given. Kindness and encouragement only for a bit! Just remember- negative comments can hurt anybody’s feelings. Obvi.”
This isn’t the first time Selena has stepped away from Instagram. She once explained to Billboard, “Removing myself was about spending time with things that matter. I’ve been hanging out with an old friend, and basically every conversation, we want it to be intentional. Meaningful conversations remind you that it’s all within where we are. It’s not about what’s happening with everything else.”
In an interview last year with the New York Times, she admitted that she deletes the apps from her phone at least once a week. “I delete the app from my phone at least once a week… You fixate on the [negative] ones. They’re not like, ‘You’re ugly.’ It’s like they want to cut to your soul. Imagine all the insecurities that you already feel about yourself and having someone write a paragraph pointing out every little thing—even if it’s just physical.”
2. She Has Reportedly Been Hospitalized for Mental Health Treatment
GettySelena Gomez posted a rare bikini photo to her Instagram story on Wednesday night.
Gomez, according to CBS, has reportedly been hospitalized for mental health treatment.
TMZ reports that she is receiving dialectical behavior therapy, also known as DBT. According to Psychology Today, DBT provides patients with the tools needed to “manage painful emotions and decrease conflict in relationships.” It can be used to treat people suffering from borderline personality disorder, depression, bulimia, binge-eating, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and many other mental health issues.
The four areas DBT emphasizes are mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.
The outlet notes that before she left social media, Selena did an Instagram Live, and answered questions from fans. She said she had been depressed for the past five years.
3. Sources Say She Is Suffering from a Low White Blood Cell Count
GettySelena Gomez at the 2016 American Music Awards.
Sources tell TMZ that during the last week of September, Gomez learned she had an “alarmingly” low white blood cell count. She was reportedly driven by a family member to the hospital and was released.
Within days, however, she was readmitted because the low blood cell count continued. TMZ writes, “Soon after she was admitted she insisted on leaving, but doctors said she couldn’t. We’re told Selena had ‘a meltdown’ and ‘freaked out’. Selena tried ripping the IV’s out of her arm. Several sources called the episode ‘an emotional breakdown.'”
In September 2017, Gomez received a kidney transplant because of her lupus diagnosis. She received the kidney from longtime friend Francia Raisa.
4. She Went to Rehab in 2014
Selena Gomez at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty)
In 2014, Gomez spent two weeks in a rehab facility in Arizona. One of her reps told E Online that she voluntarily spent her time at Meadows, and it was “not for substance abuse.”
In 2015, nearly a year later, Selena put an end to the numerous comments speculating that she was really at Meadows for a drug addiction. She said that she went to rehab to recover after receiving chemotherapy treatment for lupus.
In an interview with GQ, the singer said, “First off, this is something that everyone always wants to fixate on. I got diagnosed with lupus. My mom had a very public miscarriage. So I had to cancel my tour. I needed time to just be okay,” Selena said. “It’s really frustrating, because I am 100 percent allowed to have that.”
Earlier this year, according to CBS, she also checked herself into a wellness program in New York for depression and anxiety.
5. A Source Says Justin Bieber Is “Very Upset” About the Hospitalization
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In an interview with ET Online, a source said that Justin Bieber was “very upset” when he heard the news about Selena, whom he dated on and off for years.
They told ET, “Selena holds a special place in his heart. Justin spent most of the day alone, and even took a solo hike to the Wisdom Tree in L.A. to get away and decompress. Justin then went to his church where he was noticeably upset, without Hailey, and was comforted by friends.”
Justin attended Hillsong Church in Los Angeles shortly after TMZ reported that Gomez had been hospitalized. He was seen being comforted by his friends as he left the church.