#Selena Gomez Got ‘So Angry’ When The Media ‘Twisted’ Her Mental Health Journey!

In a new joint interview with mom Mandy Teefy for The Newsette, the actress-singer-producer opened up about how frustrated she felt when her highly publicized mental health journey was “twisted” by the media — which ultimately caused her to speak out about her struggles with anxiety and depression herself.

Related: Selena Didn’t Vote In 2016!

She explained:

“For me, I had to give up social media… so I would go through these periods when I wouldn’t [use my accounts]. But I got so angry that my story was twisted into so many different things. The first time I posted [again], I was like, ‘I claim my own story, so if you don’t hear it from me, then it’s not true. Did I go and get help? Yes I did. But I’m not ashamed. I feel better and I feel like I can understand a lot of things now.’”

Social media can be a double-edged sword, so it’s good to hear Selly figured out how to use it to her advantage — and to spread such an important message, normalizing getting mental health help!

The 28-year-old went on to explain that speaking up for herself helped change the way media outlets talked about embattled celebs in general, sharing:

“I think that was my moment when I knew [nobody] was going to take my story away from me. And I really do believe that I made the circle, if you will, of making the media look like s**t if they’re making fun of someone who has mental health issues.”

A true trailblazer!

As fans know, the Disney alum has been open and honest about getting on the right medication for her mental health issues. Earlier this year, in fact, she got candid about her bipolar disorder diagnosis in an Instagram Live chat with Miley Cyrus.

Now that she’s sharing her truth, the Monte Carlo star isn’t planning on staying silent. She said in the new interview:

“I don’t really care what people think about me. On my own social media, I got to tell the truth. And once I started claiming my own name, I think people understood my mental health journey. Now I get to support other people, and with the Rare Impact Fund, we’re pledging to donate $100 million in 10 years to mental health causes, so now I get to talk more openly about mental health to hopefully help others.”

Wow, talk about fighting the good fight!

It’s so great to see stars like Selena using their own struggles as fuel to make the world a better place. We can’t wait to see what she does next!

[Image via Ivan Nikolov/WENN]