Lili Reinhart frequently opens up about her experience with anxiety and depression, as well as how important it is to talk about mental health. When she was growing up, she didn't have many role models showing her these things are normal — but one example she did have was Demi Lovato, she recently told Ocean Drive.
Demi has made a point of speaking about her experiences with bipolar disorder, substance use disorder, and an eating disorder. "I think that it's important to speak out about things that are kind of taboo to talk about, like mental illness," she said in a video for Global Citizen last summer. "I think it's very important that some day, we have a curriculum in school where it's based off mental health."
When Lili was growing up, hearing Demi talk about mental health helped her feel less alone, though she wished there were more conversations like this. "I didn't have someone who was talking about it," she told Ocean Drive. "I remember being in middle and high school and hearing Demi Lovato speak up about her mental illness and that was comforting. But I wanted more people to stand up. I needed more people to relate to. I was like, all these people can't be so happy, can they? It was kind of like this unrealistic picture that was painted in front of me of all these happy, happy people, successful people, beautiful people."
She added that it's OK for anyone to struggle with mental health, even if they appear to have a good life on the outside. "And even now I'm on this wonderful show. I have money in my bank account. I have my own apartment. I have friends. I still go through and experience depression. You don't have to be ashamed of it. You don't need to ever justify the way you feel," she said.
Like Demi, Lili has had an impact on her fans through her openness. "I did a signing [at a] convention in Philadelphia and a couple of girls came up to me and told me with tears in their eyes: ‘You really helped me,’" she recounted. "I had no idea that the words I’m putting out there in the world were connecting with these young people, beautiful people."
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