Selena Gomez Hosts Mental Health Forum at White House with First Lady Dr. Jill Biden & Surgeon General Vivek Murthy

Selena Gomez is bring the important topic of mental health to the White House

The 29-year-old Mexican American singer, actress, and producer hosted a forum alongside Dr. Jill Biden and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy for the inaugural Mental Health Youth Action Forum, a panel to discuss the mental health issues young people are struggling with, and suggested possible ways mental health can be improved.

Selena GomezGomez, Biden and Murthy met with 30 mental health leaders and additionally spoke about how far speaking about mental health has come since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.

“Over the last decade, an alarming number of young people have struggled with mental health challenges, and the pandemic has made it so much worse: the isolation, the anxiety and, yes, the grief. They are wounds that sometimes go unseen, too often cloaked in secrecy and shame,” Biden addressed the crowd, which gathered in the White House’s East Room. “But young people don’t have to face these challenges alone. No one does. The darkness inside of us can feel heavy at times, but we can share the weight of it together. And we can help bring those feelings and experiences to the light.”

Gomez then shared anecdotes of her own regarding her mental health.

“I heard a phrase recently that I really like: the mentionable becomes manageable. I felt like once I found out what was going on mentally I found there was more freedom for me to be ok with what I had because I was learning about it, and talking about your own journey helps,” she said. “It is a topic that should be talked about freely, without shame.”

“I hope that by using my platform to share my own story and by working with incredible people,” Gomez continued. “I can help others feel less alone and find the help that they need, which is honestly all I want…We need as much help as we can possibly get developing resources and services and increasing access to those services for young people.”

Gomez teaming up with Biden comes in light of Thursday’s Mental Health Action Day and the April launch of Gomez’s Wondermind, her mental health fitness company.

Selena Gomez Launches “Your Words Matter” Campaign in Partnership with Rare Beauty & Mental Health First Aid

Selena Gomez has a few words to share…

This Mental Health Awareness Month, the 29-year-old Mexican American actress/singer has launched a new campaign about the importance of language.

Selena GomezGomez, who has been an outspoken mental health advocate, took to social media on Sunday to announce the launch of a new campaign called Your Words Matter.

The initiative — which aims to “educate on the power of your words when talking about mental health,” according to a statement — is a partnership between Gomez’s makeup company Rare Beauty and Mental Health First Aid.

“Your words matter,” Gomez wrote to her 317 million followers on Instagram. “Join @RareBeauty for Mental Health Awareness Month as we share resources and bring awareness to the power of your words all month long on IG and RareBeauty.com/RareImpact. Together we can break the stigma.”

The Only Murders in the Building star’s post also included a screenshot of a powerful message she wrote on the Notes app of her phone.

“Words can be a barrier to people seeking help and increase the stigma associated with mental health. Many of these words have been normalized and accepted for far too long, but it’s time we bring awareness to the words we use… because they matter,” she wrote.

“Even in my own TikTok video, I now realize that my words matter and can have a powerful impact. Just like all of you, I’m learning every day. We may slip up, and that’s okay, what’s important is that we try to do better and give ourselves compassion.”

Rare Beauty offered some tips on Instagram about changing language to focus on the person and not their mental health. For example, instead of referring to someone as “a bipolar person,” one could say, “a person who has bipolar disorder.” Or changing “someone who committed suicide” to “a person who died by suicide.”

For last year’s Mental Health Awareness Month, Gomez and Rare Beauty launched the Mental Health 101 campaign, which is “dedicated to supporting mental health education and encouraging financial support for more mental health services in educational services,” she wrote on Instagram.

Gomez, who’s recently turned her sights on founding a mental wellness website called Wondermind, first opened up about her bipolar diagnosis on her Bright Minded Instagram Live series in April 2020.

In September 2019, she won the 2019 McClean Award for her mental health advocacy and detailed her struggles with anxiety and depression during her acceptance speech.

Demi Lovato Partners with Talkspace to Encourage Others to Find Their Own “Voice and Freedom” Through Therapy

Demi Lovato is helping people struggling with mental health challenges get the help they need…

The 28-year-old half-Mexican American actor/singer, who has always been open about their struggles with mental health, is hoping to inspire others by giving them a tool to find their own “voice and freedom” through therapy.

Demi Lovato

Lovato is an ambassador for Talkspace, an online therapy app and site that connects people to licensed therapists, whether they want to talk through a breakup and other relationship issues, or are suffering from trauma, anxiety or depression. As part of Mental Health Awareness Month in May, Talkspace is offering $120 off their service with the promo code DEMI120.

Lovato joined Talkspace as a partner last fall, saying they wanted to help “de-stigmatize” the idea of therapy. Talkspace says more than 50% of Americans struggle with mental health, but two-thirds of people with a known mental health illness are not seeking treatment. What’s more, the company says they’ve doubled their volume since the pandemic hit last March.

With Talkspace, you can get matched with a licensed therapist online within 24 hours, and then set up an appointment, whether over video, text or phone call. You can connect with your therapist daily or set up meetings based on your schedule and needs. Since everything is done over your computer or phone, Talkspace is a great option for people who prefer discretion, or the ease and comfort of logging in from the privacy of their home.

Whether you’re suffering from anxiety or depression, recovering from trauma or in need of psychiatry, adolescent, or couples therapy, Talkspace says they have clinical treatment options for almost every need.

“We’re honored to work with Demi Lovato to continue destigmatizing therapy, and inspiring others to take action in support of their mental health — making therapy available to all at a time when it’s needed most,” the company says in a release.

“From my time as a child actor and singer to growing up in the public eye — I’ve tried to remain true to myself and honest with my fans by sharing my story of struggle, hoping that whoever needs to hear it finds solace and inspiration for their own journey,” Lovato adds. “We’re all dealing with our own struggles, so it’s important to arm ourselves with the right resources to not only live and manage — but thrive — every day.”

Find out more about Talkspace and see their plans and options at Talkspace.com. And take $120 off right now with promo code DEMI120.

Selena Gomez Launches Mental Health 101 Campaign with Her Rare Beauty Brand

Selena Gomez is hoping to raise awareness of mental health issues…

The 28-year-old Mexican American actress/singer has launched a new Mental Health 101 educational campaign with her beauty brand Rare Beauty.

Selena Gomez

In a note to her 222 million Instagram followers, the singer wrote about how Mental Health 101 “is so close to my heart because of my own struggles with mental health.”

She opened up about her bipolar diagnosis for the first time with Miley Cyrus on her Bright Minded Instagram Live series a year ago, in April 2020.

In September 2019, Gomez won the 2019 McClean Award for her mental health advocacy and detailed her struggles with anxiety and depression during her acceptance speech.

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“I know first hand how scary and lonely it can feel to face anxiety and depression by yourself at a young age. If I had learned about my mental health earlier on — been taught about my condition in school the way I was taught about other subjects — my journey could have looked very different,” she continues writing.

Mental Health 101 is the education Gomez wished she’d had in school but is now dedicated to providing for others. The initiative, which coincides with May being Mental Health Awareness Month, is “dedicated to supporting mental health education and encouraging financial support for more mental health services in educational services,” according to her follow-up Instagram post. The set of slides — which starts off by listing mental health as its own school subject next to math, science, history and P.E. — contain shocking statistics about mental health, a petition calling on the philanthropy community to support mental health services in schools, and a fundraiser for the Rare Impact Fund that she launched on her 28th birthday last July.

The original plan for the Rare Impact Fund is to raise $100 million over the next 10 years to provide mental health services to underserved communities, with 1% of annual sales on Rare Beauty products in addition to funds raised benefiting the fund. Once Gomez reaches this goal, the Rare Impact Fund will become one of the largest known funds supporting mental health from a corporate entity. Now she’s zeroed in on distributing the money to organizations that have “created evidence-based programs that address social and emotional learning in schools, strengthen youth support networks through mental health trainings, and provide more suicide prevention and crisis response in educational settings ranging from K-college,” according to the GoFundMe page. On her second IG post, Gomez wrote that Rare Beauty will be matching $200,000 of donations.

Last summer, Rare Beauty also created the Rare Beauty Mental Health Council, which brings mental health experts from universities, organizations and companies together to guide the company’s strategy. Members of the Rare Beauty Mental Health Council include Permission to Feel author Dr. Marc Brackett of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence; Dr. Scott L. Rauch of McLean Hospital; Dr. Jane Delgado of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health; Sad Girls Club CEO/founder Elyse Fox; NAMI National Director of Strategic Partnerships Katrina Gay; singer-songwriter Justin TranterThe Cut Editor-in-Chief Lindsay Peoples WagnerThe Happiness Project author Gretchen Rubin; Sephora Vice President of Merchandising, Makeup Jennifer Cohen; and YouTube‘s Global Social Impact Marketing Director Kit Hayes.

“For anyone who is hurting right now, I hope you know that you are not alone. I’m a believer in seeking help. Getting support and educating myself on mental health has changed my life, and it can change yours, too,” her note concludes. “I hope that Mental Health 101 will be the stepping stones for others that I wish I had… to get connected to the resources they need, and to empower young people in ways that may not have been possible before.”

Lele Pons Opens Up About Her Struggle with OCD & More in New YouTube Series, “The Secret Life of Lele Pons”

Lele Pons is getting up close and personal with her more than 40 million social media followers.

The 23-year-old Venezuelan internet celebrity, YouTuber, actress, singer, model and host has released her new YouTube series The Secret Life of Lele Pons, where she reveals her lifelong struggle with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and other mental health conditions.

Lele-Pons

“It’s very personal and it took a while for me to actually to be super open because at first I was embarrassed about it,” Pons tells Billboard. “But over the time, I’ve learned to be strong.”

Launched in partnership with YouTube in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, the five-part series documents Pons’ journey from childhood to present day, her therapy sessions, and how living with OCD has impacted her career as an influencer and musician.

“I’m kind of nervous about it, you know,” says Pons of launching the show. “It’s very personal and it took a while for me to actually to be super open because at first I was embarrassed about it. But over the time, I’ve learned to be strong. Now, I’m ready to let people in my life. This is my little secret and I’m basically telling them, ‘Here’s my secret, now take care of it.’ It’s the first time I show the world my vulnerable side. I owe it to my fans because they’ve been vulnerable with me.”

The Secret Life of Lele Pons airs a new episode every Tuesday on her YouTube channel.