Camila Cabello says her life has changed since overcoming the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The 27-year-old “Havana” singer has been open about her experience with anxiety and OCD in the past, explaining that for her the condition means having the same thoughts “over and over again.”
He also manifested himself by asking the same question repeatedly, such as “'Are you sure you're not mad at me? Wait, are you sure you're not mad at me?'” he said, giving examples in a new interview with The times.
“I’m doing much better now,” she continued. “I found the right therapist and the right medication.”
For Cabello, this meant taking elective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, a category of antidepressants believed to increase serotonin levels in the brain, according to the NHS. The medication can also be used to treat anxiety and other mental health disorders.
“I felt like I was giving in to the need to take medication,” she said. “But honestly, it changed my life.”
The pop star, who has billions of streams of her songs, said her OCD didn't affect her music, but rather it mostly affected “life and human things.”
Reflecting on living with the condition, the singer said she attributes her development to her itinerant childhood, where she regularly traveled from place to place.
“My mom would say something like, 'Well, since I was little, you were in Cuba with your cousins and your grandparents, and suddenly you were in Mexico and you spent a week crying.'
“My life in Cuba revolved a lot around my extended family. That's why, in America, music and pop culture filled such a big void and I developed a big inner world.”
OCD is a common mental health condition in which a person has obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours, the NHS explains.
Symptoms of the condition may include an unpleasant thought, image, or impulse that repeatedly enters the mind, causing feelings of anxiety, disgust, or uneasiness, and a repetitive behavior or mental act that you feel you must carry out to try to temporarily relieve the unpleasant feelings brought on by the obsessive thought.
The main treatments for this disease are psychological therapy and medication.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress or are having difficulty coping, you can speak to the Samaritans, confidentially, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email [email protected] or visit the Samaritans website. Samaritans Website to find details of the nearest branch.
If you are in the U.S. and you or someone you know needs mental health support right now, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
