Chappell Roan says she has been diagnosed with “severe depression” amid her ongoing world tour in support of her blockbuster debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.
In a new interview with the Guardian, Roan revealed that she received the diagnosis after going to “a psychiatrist last week because I was like, I don’t know what’s going on.”
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“She diagnosed me with severe depression – which I didn’t think I had because I’m not actually sad. But I have every symptom of someone who’s severely depressed,” Roan explained, including brain fog, forgetfulness, poor focus and “a very lackluster viewpoint.”
Roan attributed her symptoms to her sudden rise to fame, noting, “I think it’s because my whole life has changed. Everything that I really love to do now comes with baggage. If I want to go thrifting, I have to book security and prepare myself that this is not going to be normal. Going to the park, pilates, yoga – how do I do this in a safe way where I’m not going to be stalked or harassed?”
“Every time I walk through my front door, it just comes out of me,” she admitted. “I can’t even help it, I just start sobbing and either being so angry at myself for choosing this path, or grieving how the curiosity and pure wonder I had about the world is somewhat taken away from me.”
The 26-year-old likened fame to feeling “like going through puberty again – my body does feel different. It’s holding tension in a very different way: I have all these new emotions and I’m really confused. It’s how it felt to be 12. I look at [Lady] Gaga and even Sabrina [Carpenter] and Lana [Del Rey] – when I see them going out in public, I can’t even imagine how much they’ve had to prepare for that.”
Roan has been candid about her mental health in the past, previously revealing that she was diagnosed with bipolar II disorder at the age of 22. More recently, she has been vocal about setting boundaries for being approached in public and calling out “predatory behavior” toward famous women.
Fortunately, Roan has an Avengers-like support group of fellow pop stars, as the likes of Lady Gaga, Charli XCX, Mitski, Miley Cyrus, Hayley Williams, boygenius, Olivia Rodrigo, Lorde, and Sabrina Carpenter have all rallied around her amid her meteoric rise.