Selena Gomez has opened up for the first time about being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

On Friday, the “Feel Me” singer appeared on the latest instalment of Miley Cyrus’ Instagram Live series titled "Bright Minded".

During the 20-minute conversation, the discussion turned to mental health after Cyrus asked Gomez how she was coping during the current coronavirus pandemic.

Gomez revealed that she recently found out she had bipolar disorder during a visit to a hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, adding that the condition no longer scares her.

“I went to one of the best mental hospitals in America, McClean Hospital, and I discussed that after years of going through a lot of different things, I realised that I was bipolar,” Gomez said.

“I was equal parts terrified and relieved – terrified because the veil was lifted but relieved that I finally had the knowledge of why I had suffered with various depressions and anxieties for so many years.

“I never had full awareness or answers about this condition. When I have more information, it actually helps me, it doesn’t scare me once I know it.”

Bipolar, previously called “manic depression”, is a serious mental health condition where people experience significant swings in mood, with episodes of hyperactivity and depression.

During the discussion, Gomez went on to explain she felt her upbringing in Texas made it more difficult for her to talk about her emotions.

“I'm from Texas, it's just not known to talk about mental health. You’ve got to seem cool,” the former Disney star said.

“And then I see anger built up in children and teenagers or young adults because they are wanting that so badly. I just feel like when I finally said what I was going to say, I wanted to know everything about it. And it took the fear away.”

Gomez has spoken about her experiences with depression in the past, but has never revealed her bipolar diagnosis before.

In 2019, the “Rare” singer said she deleted Instagram from her phone because it was making her feel depressed.

When asked how she manages to stay engaged with her 152 million followers on Instagram during an interview, Gomez said: “I used to a lot but I think it's become really unhealthy for young people, including myself, to spend all of their time fixating on all of these comments and letting this stuff in."

The star went on to explain how using social media so much was negatively affecting her mood and self-esteem.

“It would make me depressed, it would make me feel not good about myself, and look at my body differently,” Gomez said.

You can find out more about bipolar disorder here.

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