Dove Cameron Recalls Feeling 'Incredibly Suicidal,' Talks 'Shame and Stigma' Around Mental Health Issues

The singer-songwriter, 27, opened up about mental health and said talking about suicide “needs to be destigmatized” so people can ask for help

Dove Cameron is being transparent about her mental health journey in hopes of helping others who’ve gone through similar experiences.

The singer-songwriter, 27, recently spoke to Byrdie and discussed how she’s dealt with depression her entire life. She also reflected on her father Philip, a jewelry designer, who died by suicide when she was 15.

“I think it’s important just to say this: I’ve had times in my life when I was incredibly suicidal. And I think that needs to be destigmatized,” she told the outlet.

“My father [died by] suicide. I’ve spoken about that a lot,” she continued. “And I always think about how much shame and stigma there is around suicide. And if we could be more open about suicide and mental health, I think there would be so many people [who would say], ‘Hey, I feel like there’s no other option. Can you show me that there are?’”

Cameron also shared that she’s a big advocate for therapy — which she's been doing since she was 8 — and although she’s still learning how to manage her mental health, she does what she can by forcing herself out of bed, getting sunlight and surrounding herself with loved ones.

Related: Dove Cameron Shares Emotional Post About 'Identity': 'I'm Struggling More Than Half of the Time'

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Cameron has been open about her mental health struggles over the years.

In May 2022, the  Descendants actress shared that she's "struggling" with "the concept of self, my inner relationship to who I know myself to be and my outer perceivable self who I feel I have never known but other people seem to."

In an emotional Instagram post, Cameron posted a series of mirror selfies with tears in her eyes as well as a screenshot of a lengthy note. The accompanying caption addressed "identity vs the self" and "depression & dysphoria."

"I've been covering mirrors lately," she wrote at the time. "I've been feeling wrong in clothing that used to make me feel beautiful lately. I've been crying a lot lately, sometimes terrorized by my identity and image, sometimes in absolute flow with something new and peripheral and joyous to me."

She continued, "I don't know if I've ever slowed down enough to learn who I am outside of fight, flight or freeze. but the self finds ways of showing up anyway, trickling in enough to hint at who we might be if we didn't feel we had to be everything but the self."

Related: Dove Cameron Opens Up About 'Facing Her Demons' During Pandemic

Additionally, she shared, "sexuality and performative gender norms, societal rewards and identity are really throwing me for a loop." The actress identifies as queer.

Cameron also mentioned how "social media" and "constant broadcasting of self and visibility of ourselves and everyone everywhere" are among "modern problems" and not "optimal for mental health."

"What I am choosing to say is I am in process, I'm investigating, I'm struggling more than half of the time and I'm trying to maintain a quiet non judgmental curiosity rather than punish myself for not knowing what I'm feeling or where I'm going," she continued.

Explaining to her followers that she's sharing the message "without conclusion because i don't have answers from myself yet, and because I have a feeling it's a very intrinsically (modern) human conversation," the "Boyfriend" singer wants her fans to know she doesn't want them to "feel alone in a sea of what seems like humans who are comfortable in their identity."

"We all deserved a life unburdened by the societally created identity, we all deserve to unlearn self abuse and self hatred," she affirmed. "I am on that journey now, I'm sharing so that we may all feel more comfortable in a conversation that may be confusing, and we may navigate something that feels difficult to put to words, together."

"Human, first. The rest is all the rest," Cameron added. "Emotion is COOL. dysphoria is OK. living as a human is INTENSE. We are all holding hands. Don't forget."

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.

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