Selena Gomez Says She Was 'Misdiagnosed' Before Receiving Bipolar Diagnosis: 'It's So F---ing Complicated'

Desiree AnelloWed, March 4, 2026 at 10:50 PM UTC

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Selena Gomez in El Segundo in January 2026Credit: Stefanie Keenan/Getty -

Selena Gomez revealed she was “misdiagnosed” before receiving her bipolar disorder diagnosis

As she put it, “It’s actually really hard when we’re talking about these things. And for me to go get a therapist, all of it is so f---ing complicated”

The singer and actress has been candid about the mental health challenges she’s faced in the past

Selena Gomez is opening up about her mental health journey.

While appearing on the March 3 episode of Friends Keep Secrets podcast alongside husband Benny Blanco, the singer-actress, 33, recalled being “misdiagnosed” before ultimately receiving her bipolar disorder diagnosis.

"I knew something was wrong, but I think I was misdiagnosed," Gomez said. "People were just assuming, and I would try multiple therapists. And that’s why it’s hard. It’s actually really hard when we’re talking about these things. And for me to go get a therapist, all of it is so f---ing complicated."

Going on to explain that finding the right diagnosis and treatments took going through "multiple different people," the Only Murders in the Building actress emphasized how important it was to remember that "you can’t just give up."

While going to "four different rehabs" ultimately helped Gomez to better understand her diagnosis, Blanco, 37, noted that she will still occasionally "have moments where she’s having mania and she doesn’t know."

"She’ll start to realize she’s having it after it’s happening, and sometimes she doesn’t even remember when it’s happening," the record producer, who wed Gomez in September, explained. "It’s such a delicate thing because you’re not supposed to technically talk to that person about it while they’re deep in it. And it’s like, even dating her and she’s so hyperaware, she’ll be like, 'I think I’m feeling a little manic.' "

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In response, Gomez made it clear that those "moments of mania" are never something she’s ashamed of.

"I’m not ashamed at all because I can catch them a bit quicker," she emphasized. "But it is helpful to have a partner that will understand where the temperature is at and meet you where you are, and then you gradually understand what’s happening."

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Benny Blanco and Selena Gomez on 'Friends Keep Secrets'Credit: Friends Keep Secrets

As time goes on and she continues to better understand how her bipolar disorder affects her everyday life, the “Calm Down” singer said that she’s been able to live her life more “freely” than ever before.

"That’s the problem with misconception," Gomez said. "The whole hypocrisy of shaming people for therapy or people not understanding it is that it’s just not for you. That’s completely fine, but for me, it finally allowed me to go, ‘Oh, that’s why I handled things the way I handled it. That’s why all the other people were able to get over things so quickly and I wasn’t.'"

"I would act out of fear, I would act out of love, I would act out of passion,” she added. “It was all inconsistent, it was crazy."

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”