Setting an example! Selena Gomez didn’t shy away from talking about her mental health battle in her AppleTV+ documentary, My Mind & Me. “I wanted there to be a conversation started,” said the Only Murders in the Building star, 31. “I wasn’t ashamed, and I wanted it to lead to something healing.” In 2016, Selena made the decision to cancel the remainder of her Revival Tour to seek treatment at a Tennessee facility as her struggles with anxiety and depression worsened. “I went through a really hard season,” the singer-actress confessed. “It was my highs and lows, and I didn’t know what to do, so I couldn’t control it. It was just a tormented feeling.”

Four years later, Selena would reveal that she’d been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. “It was just like, ‘Oh, OK. I feel a bit relieved. I understand a bit more,’” she recalled. “I got second opinions. I went to doctors. I’m fortunate enough to be able to have people who can help me survive every day.” Though Selena didn’t set out to become a role model, admits a source, she’s incredibly humbled that fans see her that way. “It breaks my heart,” she said, “to hear a girl come up to me and say, ‘I was so close to taking my life, but when I watched your documentary, I couldn’t imagine doing that anymore.’”

“Connecting with fans gives Selena purpose,” a source exclusively tells Life & Style.