Selena Gomez opens up about 'really difficult time' before rehab stint

Selena Gomez has opened up about the “difficult time” she faced just before she checked herself into rehab last year.

The pop singer has spoken candidly about her time at the facility in Nashville, Tennessee, where she received treatment for the side effects of “anxiety, panic attacks and depression” following her lupus diagnosis.

Appearing on a Netflix-hosted panel to promote ‘13 Reasons Why’, a forthcoming series based on a best selling YA novel about a teenager’s suicide, Gomez shared her personal connection to the story.

Speaking at Wednesday’s event in New York City, the 24-year-old explained: “I think that my [own] high school experience was amplified. I wouldn’t say it was worse, but it made I harder…

“Whether it was just kids or growing up in the biggest high school in the world, which was Disney Channel, it was also adults that had the audacity to kind of tell me how I should life my life.”

She added: “It was very confusing for me. I had no idea who I was going to be, what I’m still going to become.”

Gomez accepted the role of executive producer on the miniseries around the same time that she sought professional treatment for her mental health issues, an experience she believes brought her closer to the show’s material.

“To be frank with you, I actually was going through a really difficult time when they started production,” she admitted. “I went away for 90 days, and I actually met a ton of kids in this place that were talking about issues that these characters are experiencing.

“Whether I like it or not, people have seen a lot of my mistakes and I had to use that as a good thing, because then they’re able to trust me.

“I want to be a part of this, because I think this is what they want, this is what they need.”

The songstress went on to slam social media for painting a false idea of reality, but revealed her hopes that a younger generation might find a connection with the show’s message of tolerance and compassion.

“I can’t stand what they’re looking at and what they think is reality,” Gomez offered. “There are 17-year-od’s that look older than me and that freaks me out. We’re just so disconnected from people now.

“Teens just really want that connection.”

‘13 Reasons Why’ premieres on Netflix in March.