Demi Lovato doesn’t use her bipolar diagnoses as a "label".
The 24-year-old singer suffers from the mental illness which affects her moods, and has said that whilst it’s true that she does have the condition, she doesn’t think it should define her.
She said: "I think when people refer to me as being bipolar, it’s something that’s true – I am bipolar – but I don’t like people to use it as a label. It’s something that I have, it’s not who I am."
And the ‘Sorry Not Sorry’ hitmaker would rather be known as an "activist", as she’s been extremely vocal about her history with mental illness and substance abuse after voluntarily entering rehab in 2011 and remaining sober ever since.
She added: "I think it’s very important that people raise the importance of mental health because it’s something that’s so taboo to talk about. The more people know about it, the more people are going to be able to find solutions to what they’re going through.
"It’s important to speak up about the things you believe in, because your voice will be heard no matter what position you’re in. I just happen to be in a position where more people would hear my voice than they would have 10-15 years ago, so I use my voice to do more than just sing."
Demi – who is expecting to release a new album "later this year" – also believes its important to put her message into her music, so her fans can relate.
Speaking with Elvis Duran as part of iHeartRadio’s Label Defiers, she said: "[Whether] it’s in a situation where they need to rise above whatever negativity they have going on in their life or whether it’s to get through a heartbreak or whether it’s to make a memory to falling in love – I think that it’s just important to create music and to be as honest and real about it as possible."
Demi Lovato: Don’t use bipolar to define me
