Selena Gomez: "I took a load off my shoulders when I found out I have bipolar disorder"

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"Suddenly I had to learn to be with myself," says singer

one of the few artists who has dared to make public the reason that her last years have not been easy: "I went to one of the best

and I realized that after years of going through a lot of different things, this is

. "

Talking about it - "I took a load off my shoulders when I discovered it. I took a deep breath and said, 'okay, this explains it,'" he confessed in the US edition of Elle magazine - it's not the usual thing. Although the World Health Organization affirms that it is the sixth cause of disability in the world and affects 3% of the population (including the less serious forms, almost 4%, according to the Spanish Society of Internal Medicine, and three of every five people at some point in their lives, points out the Mundo Bipolar Foundation), this disorder is rarely discussed without trivializing it and even less is it publicly recognized. "It is difficult to come out of the closet, you have to be very tactful and explain it in a way that they can understand you, counting on that there will be people who will not," says BLB, 48, who was diagnosed with 28.In your opinion, the goal should be to normalize the situation.

This is what

has also tried

"It affects millions of people and I am one of them. If revealing that I have it encourages others to seek help, it is worth it. There is no need to suffer in silence and there is no shame in getting help," he says.

From their position of strength, Gomez and Zeta-Jones claim what many other anonymous women do, because this disorder, in one of its variants, affects women more and hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and menopause can aggravate it , they say from the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Also from the Madrid Bipolar Association, where they have specific therapies for women.

A Ferris wheel of emotions

The cause of bipolar disorder,

in origin, is biological; It is due to a malfunction of the limbic system, which is responsible for regulating

. "You go from euphoria, from having a lot of ideas and projects in mind, from great creativity and sexual activity ... to a depressive state. Sometimes you recognize the symptoms and realize it, sometimes you don't," BLB tells us.

A wheel of emotions that forces you to overcome many

, especially in relation to the workplace. "I am an expert in human resources, you have no choice when you face a

every six months," she jokes, assuring that the need forces you to develop other

. You now have a permanent incapacity for work.

This is not the case with the 43-year-old GPM. He works in a multinational company, has extensive professional experience, highly valued knowledge in his sector and speaks several languages, although the

"with their respective incomes and sick leave" have caused him to lose many jobs. "Being repeatedly faced with

entails absolutely counterproductive stress, but despite the difficult situation I always get a new job, which I will probably lose in the

" she explains resignedly. It is something that happens to almost half of those affected.

The hardest thing for her is getting up in the morning. "

is a third of the treatment, there are times when I can be dozing all day," he tells us. When the

phase arrives, he

knows that he must put into practice the techniques he has learned, especially "

the environment to carry out the tasks that are difficult for me."

Controlling the states of

goes through shared psychological therapy, the patient and the caregiver, and constant medication, although according to experts almost 100% of those diagnosed consider abandoning

at some point

and 50% conclude it by your account. It was what GPM did, at the beginning. "

is a challenge, because it forces you to accept that you have a mental disorder and that it is chronic; you leave it because you see yourself recovered." And this is one of the main complications: "The

is more intense," says psychologist Anabel Martínez, an expert in bipolar disorder at the Hospital Clinic i Universitari de Barcelona. In this sense, the

process

it is as necessary as pills.

The shadow of depression

But recognizing the disorder is not easy either.

"Approximately 40% of those who suffer from it have received a first misdiagnosis, often mistaken for

" says Nassir Ghaemi, professor and expert psychiatrist in bipolar disorder at Tufts Medical Center hospital in Boston.

"It usually appears at 19 years of age, but it is common for another 10 to go by until help is sought, so the average age to start

it is

" he explains.

Too late, time is money in psychiatry.

GPM was diagnosed early, when he was 19. But that didn't make it any easier. "It was difficult to learn to trust my ability to ask for help and put aside being

. The greatest achievement has been understanding that no one can really do anything for me." Her mother has always been next to her, living the disorder from the other side: "You are always with your

, attentive, but without alarming, trying not to show it so as not to create conflict. It takes time to learn to

without lose calm".

JG, 23, has also lived on this side, who never had a grandmother like the rest of her friends. "It is difficult to explain and almost to understand; I loved her, but avoided meeting her, because I never knew what her reaction would be." Then she was a child, now she fits "many of her mother's things", her mood swings and her bad moments, because she was the one who was always taking care of hers.

Living with bipolar disorder is as hard for the sufferer as it is for family members. Social

are not easy and

do not last. "I know that I am better alone, independent", assures GPM, "I have had several long relationships, but now I am fine like this". BLB has been through the same thing, too. After two relationships, one for six years and the other for 14, she has found

with her current partner. "We have our things, but I think we do better than others who are not conditioned by this. If there is something good about bipolar disorder, it is that I know that whoever loves

"She always says optimistically with a final clarification, the same as that of all the women who appear in this report:" You can live with bipolar disorder, we also

.

In periods of stability I even enjoy taking the bus. "

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