Halsey on mental health: ‘I’ve been committed twice’
The bisexual singer and LGBT+ activist Halsey has spoken out about her struggles with bipolar disorder, admitting that she has been committed to a psychiatric unit twice.
Halsey has frequently used her platform to discuss difficult issues, including last year when she revealed she suffered from chronic endometriosis which caused her to have a miscarriage on stage.
And earlier this month she paid tribute to the lesbians who were attacked on a bus in London by wearing a T-shirt with a photo of the couple on the front and the words “f*** your straight pride” on the back.
But until recently, the 24-year-old singer had not revealed the full extent of her mental health problems.
“I’m not ashamed of talking about it now. It’s been my choice.”
— Halsey
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Halsey was brutally honest about her bipolar disorder, which she was diagnosed with aged 17 after a suicide attempt.
“I’ve been committed twice since [I became] Halsey and no one’s known about it,” she told the magazine.
“But I’m not ashamed of talking about it now. It’s been my choice. I’ve said to [my manager], ‘Hey, I’m not going to do anything bad right now but I’m getting to the point where I’m scared that I might, so I need to go figure this out.’ It’s still happening in my body. I just know when to get in front of it.”
Halsey on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine
The album she’s currently writing is the first she’s ever done while in a manic period, but she assures fans that her mental health is in control. In fact, she says her career success has been a stabilising influence, “because it makes me accountable.”
Halsey reasons that she doesn’t see being committed as a problem, but rather as a way of responsibly dealing with one.
“I’ve said to [my manager], ‘Hey, I’m not going to do anything bad right now, but I’m getting to the point where I’m scared that I might, so I need to go figure this out.’ It’s still happening in my body. I just know when to get in front of it.”
