“I think the first ray of hope was when I started to make an effort,” Lovato said at the Youth Mental Health Center’s annual charity event.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty
Demi Lovato attending the 2024 Met Gala
Demi Lovato has found the “light” again after starting to work on herself.
The 31-year-old singer spoke candidly about how her relationship with herself has changed since undergoing five inpatient mental health treatments during a discussion with Dr. Charlie Shaffer, son of Anna Wintour, at the NewYork-Presbyterian Church’s annual charity event for the Youth Mental Health Center on Monday night.
“I’ve been to inpatient treatment five times, and every time I went back to the treatment center I felt defeated,” the actress said at the event hosted by Wintour, Tory Burch, Dr. Steven J. Corwin and Dr. Zandy Forbes.
“I know that experience firsthand, and I think the silver lining was when they started talking and building relationships with their treatment team, whether it was a job or a program.”
Michael Tran/AFP via Getty
Demi Lovato attends the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala on November 11, 2023 in Los Angeles, California
RELATED: Demi Lovato Reveals What She Wish She’d Tell Her Teenage Self About Beauty (And It’s the Advice We All Need)
“I think that hope began to shift when I started to notice the joy and the little things in life, which was totally foreign to me before because I was so used to not seeing hope,” she continued.
After undergoing a fifth inpatient mental health treatment, Lovato said, “I definitely felt like things had changed.”
“I felt like I’d hit rock bottom, but I knew what I had to do, which was to live in recovery, but it was something I’d been putting off for a long time,” she said.
Araya Doheny/Getty Images courtesy of Vanity Fair
Demi Lovato attends the Vanity Fair Academy Awards afterparty in March 2024.
RELATED: Demi Lovato Encourages Teens to Share Mental Health Struggles: ‘It’s Totally Okay to Ask for Help’
“I also needed the right medication, and I think it helped me tremendously. It’s helped a lot of people tremendously,” Lovato continued. “And then I think I hit rock bottom again. I thought, ‘What am I doing wrong?’ I felt devastated. But then, as all the important pieces started to fall into place like a perfect puzzle, I started to see the light again.”
Lovato said that through treatment she learned that her mental condition is not her “identity.”
“It wasn’t until I went through my first treatment that I realized this isn’t who I am. It’s just part of what makes me who I am. I mean, my struggles have shaped me into the porcelain you see today, but it’s never been my identity since. I guess you could say it’s just become something that makes me a little bit more interesting,” she said, adding that she was “grateful for what I’ve been through and what I’ve overcome.”
Eric Penjich/Shutterstock
Demi Lovato attends the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Red Dress Collection concert in January 2024.
To make sure you never miss a story, sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
If you or someone you know is in need of mental health support, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to connect with a certified crisis counselor.
For more People news, sign up for our newsletter.
Read the original article on People.
