At seven years old, Demi Lovato had already contemplated suicide and now — six years after getting completely sober — she explained what some of her darkest days were really like in an interview with Dr. Phil. She said, “The very first time that I was suicidal was when I was seven, and I had this fascination with death. I have experienced things that I’ve not talked about and that I don’t know if I ever will talk about. But at seven, I knew that if I were to take my own life, that the pain would end.”

When the “Let Me Love You” singer was 12, she was bullied and at 18 she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder which is what led her down a path filled with drugs and alcohol. “My addiction was very severe to where I had several scares, and I knew that at the rate I was using and drinking, I wasn’t going to live a long life. I used very fast, very hard,” she shared.

She celebrated six years of sobriety on social media as well as on stage during a concert in Brooklyn. She opened up to the audience and said, “Yesterday was a really big day for me. Yesterday, six years ago, I was drinking vodka out of a Sprite bottle at nine in the morning, throwing up in the car and I just remember thinking, ‘This is no longer cute. This is no longer fun.'”

Now that she’s clean, Demi is not only trying to help others stop using drugs and alcohol but also continuing to talk about suicide and the feeling of wanting to end your own life because she dealt with it at such a young age. She said, “If I could tell anybody that’s thinking about taking their own life, is to reach out to people. Don’t hold it inside — don’t isolate. Reach out to people, whether it’s close friends, family.”

demi lovato talks suicide

She continued, “If you feel like you don’t have anybody, look within yourself and try to find that resilience that will ultimately get you through whatever it is you’re going through. Every single person on this planet is worth life.”

If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.