Demi Lovato was suicidal 'even before Barney' at the age of 7

Demi Lovato is revealing that it wasn’t the pressure of the limelight that sent her into a depression and it was not the downside of fame that gave her suicidal thoughts, she had been dealing with mental health issues before she even accepted a role on Barney & Friends at the age of 7.

The “Give Your Heart a Break” singer told the August issue of Cosmopolitan that she had been “struggling” before she worked on the popular kid’s show.

"At the time, I was just so grateful to be on TV, but I was also really struggling. Looking back, there was a connection, probably between any kid who's ever sang that song to Barney, a little place in a child's heart, a void, that could be filled. And maybe Barney fills it,” she explained.

However, she admitted “Even before Barney, I was suicidal. I was seven. With Barney, I guess subliminally, I did have a relationship with this figure that was saving my life in a way… I've talked about being bullied and the years of being a teenager, but I went through things when I was younger that I've never talked about that probably caused me to turn out the way I ended up turning out."

According to MTV News, Lovato, 20, announced last week that she would be starting the Lovato Treatment Scholarship with CAST Recovery, which funds treatment expenses for those with mental illnesses. Lovato was inspired to create the program in memory of her father, Patrick Lovato, who died last week and who also battled with mental illness issues.

image: Cosmopolitan

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