Singer and actress Selena Gomez revealed her bipolar disorder diagnosis publicly, having already been open about her broader mental health journey in the years prior. She has said that learning about the condition took away much of her fear, leaving her feeling informed and ready to help break the stigma surrounding it. Through her own platform and mental health initiatives, she has become one of the most active advocates among her generation of stars. | © Selena Gomez / YouTube
Oscar-winning actress Patty Duke, celebrated for playing Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1982. She went on to become one of the earliest prominent advocates for mental health awareness, writing about her experiences and helping reduce the stigma around the condition at a time when few public figures spoke about it. Her advocacy left a lasting mark well beyond her acting career, and she passed away in 2016. | © United Artists
Comedian Maria Bamford has been refreshingly candid about living with bipolar disorder, discussing it in interviews and weaving it into her stand-up. Rather than treating the subject as off-limits, she has built much of her acclaimed comedy around her mental health experiences with honesty and humor. That willingness to mine her own struggles for material has made her a beloved and distinctive voice in comedy. | © Comedy Central / YouTube
Singer Demi Lovato shared her bipolar disorder diagnosis publicly in her book Staying Strong: 365 Days a Year, becoming one of the more visible advocates for mental health awareness. She has since spoken extensively about her experiences, using her platform to push back against stigma and encourage others to seek help. Her openness has made her a recognizable and reassuring voice for many young fans facing similar challenges. | © Demi Lovato / YouTube
Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz has managed his bipolar disorder since the age of 18, speaking about it candidly in interviews over the years. He described to Spin the exhausting experience of being unable to sleep and wishing his mind would simply quiet down. His openness about reaching that low point and getting help for it has resonated with many fans navigating similar struggles. | © Apple Music / YouTube
Singer Chris Brown's bipolar disorder diagnosis became public in 2014 through court documents, which also noted post-traumatic stress disorder. The disclosure offered some clinical context during a period when his personal struggles were heavily scrutinized. Unlike many others on this list, the diagnosis emerged through legal proceedings rather than a choice to share it himself. | © Open Thoughts / YouTube
The late rapper DMX spoke openly about living with bipolar disorder during his lifetime, including in an interview with ABC15. He reflected on how the condition affected his sense of self over the years, describing shifts in his experience of his own personality. His candor about mental health, addiction, and faith made him a strikingly honest voice right up until he died in 2021. | © FilmMagic
Comedian and actor Russell Brand has spoken openly about living with several conditions, including bipolar disorder, in interviews over the years. He has framed his mental health as part of a broader personal history that he has worked to understand and manage over time. His willingness to discuss it publicly added another recognizable name to the conversation around the condition. | © Russell Brand / YouTube
Stranger Things actor David Harbour has been open about his bipolar disorder, recounting in an interview with Marc Maron how he experienced a manic episode that led to his diagnosis. He shared that the episode resulted in his parents having him hospitalized at the time. Speaking candidly about that period has made him one of the more grounded voices among public figures discussing their mental health. | © Netflix
Former child star Amanda Bynes stepped back from the spotlight after a difficult period that played out publicly in the early 2010s, leading to a conservatorship in 2013. She later shared that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had struggled with substance use during that time. Her conservatorship was terminated in 2022 after she demonstrated it was no longer needed, and while she has faced further challenges since, she has largely chosen to live away from public attention. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
Mel Gibson disclosed his bipolar disorder diagnosis in the documentary Acting Class of 1977, reflecting on the dramatic emotional swings he had experienced. He described living with very good highs alongside some very low lows, the kind of cycling that characterizes the condition. The revelation offered some context for a personal life that had often played out turbulently in the public eye. | © PowerfulJRE / YouTube
Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson has spoken publicly about his own bipolar disorder diagnosis over the years. In an interview, he offered some blunt, direct advice to Kanye West about the importance of staying on prescribed medication, speaking from his own experience managing the condition. Coming from someone who has lived it, the message carried a certain weight beneath the bluntness. | © PowerfulJRE / YouTube
Pete Davidson has been candid about living with borderline personality disorder, a diagnosis he received in his early twenties after years of struggling to understand what he was going through. He's explained that getting an accurate diagnosis was a turning point that finally helped him make sense of his experiences and seek the right treatment. It's worth noting that BPD is a distinct condition rather than a form of bipolar disorder, though the two are sometimes confused because they can share certain features like intense mood shifts. | © Lionsgate Films
Mariah Carey revealed her bipolar disorder diagnosis publicly in a 2018 interview with People, describing years spent living in denial and isolation before seeking help. She explained that she had initially struggled to accept the diagnosis and feared the stigma that might come with it. Opening up about her experience made her one of the most prominent figures to put a familiar, beloved face to the condition. | © Mariah Carey / YouTube
Kanye West publicly revealed his bipolar diagnosis on his 2018 album Ye, even referring to it on the cover as his superpower. In the years since, his public behavior grew increasingly erratic, and his marriage to Kim Kardashian came to an end. It's worth noting that his later antisemitic comments and political alignments are separate matters of his own choices and statements rather than symptoms of a condition, and conflating the two does a disservice to the many people who live with bipolar disorder without any such views. | © PowerfulJRE / YouTube
Bipolar disorder affects millions of people, including plenty of familiar faces who have chosen to speak openly about it. These 15 stars have shared their own experiences with the condition, helping chip away at the stigma and showing that a diagnosis doesn't have to define a life or a career.
