Selena Gomez and First Lady Jill Biden at The White House.Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty

Selena Gomez and Dr. Jill Biden attend as MTV Entertainment hosts first ever Mental Health Youth Forum at The White House on May 18, 2022 in Washington, DC.

At first after suffering from severe anxiety, depression,a mental breakdown that lead to a hospitalizationand a diagnosis of bipolar disorder,Selena Gomezavoided talking about it.

But that was temporary, andshe’s since become very candid about her journey. And at the White House Wednesday, she teamed up with First Lady Jill Biden to encourage other young people try to do the same.

“I heard a phrase recently that I really like: the mentionable becomes manageable,” the 29-year-old singer and actress said as she sat with Biden, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, M.D., and30 youth mental health advocatesfor a 45-minute chat as part of theinaugural Mental Health Youth Action Forum.

Jill Biden, Selena Gomez, and U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, M.D., right, with youth mental health activists.Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo

Front row from left, youth mental health leader Ayanna Kelly, first lady Jill Biden, youth mental health leader Juan Acosta, actress and mental health advocate Selena Gomez, listen as Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, speaks during the White House Conversation on Youth Mental Health, Wednesday, May 18, 2022, at the White House in Washington.

“I felt like once I found out what was going on mentally I found there was more freedom for me to be ok with what I had because I was learning about it,” she continued, “and talking about your own journey helps.”

“It is a topic that should be talked about freely,” she said, “without shame.”

“You know, our world doesn’t feel so small and dark any longer,” Biden said to the group. “We’re recovering every single day, but recovery isn’t always the same as healing. And sometimes the darkness is inside of us too.”

Selena Gomez and first lady Jill Biden with youth mental health activists.Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo

First lady Jill Biden arrives to the White House Conversation on Youth Mental Health, with from left, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, mental health advocate and actress Selena Gomez, Juan Acosta, the first lady, Jazmine Wildcat, and Ayanna Kelly, Wednesday, May 18, 2022, at the White House in Washington.

“You know the isolation, the anxiety, and, yes, the grief,” she said, “they are wounds that sometimes go unseen, too often cloaked in secrecy and shame.”

“The darkness inside of us can feel heavy at times,” Biden continued. " But we can share the weight of it together, and we can help bring those feelings and experiences into the light."

The first lady noted that Thursday isMental Health Action Day, and hoped that “this conversation continues,” she said, “that this is not a one-time thing, this is something we need to work on, especially after the pandemic.”

source: people.com