Dove Cameron is "struggling" with depression and dysphoria and feels "terrorised" by her own image.
Dove Cameron has opened up about her mental health battles
The 'Boyfriend' singer admitted she has been "crying a lot" because she's struggling to get to grip with who she really is and how other people see her.
Alongside a series of selfies of her crying into a mirror, she wrote on Instagram: "I’ve been struggling lately with the concept of self, my inner relationship to who i know myself to be and my outer perceivable self who i feel i have never known but other people seem to.
“I’ve been covering mirrors lately. I’ve been feeling wrong in clothing that used to make me feel beautiful lately. i've been crying a lot lately, sometimes terrorized by my identity and image.
“i don’t know if I’ve ever slowed down enough to learn who i am outside of fight, flight or freeze. but the self finds ways of showing up anyway.”
The 'Descendents' star - who came out as bisexual in 2020 - explained “sexuality and performative gender norms” were “really throwing” her for “a loop” and she believes social media and a “constant broadcasting of self and visibility” was potentially harmful to mental health.
The 26-year-old actress wanted to share her journey so her followers felt less “alone in a sea of what seems like humans who are comfortable in their identity, like they may not even have to think twice about it”.
She added: “We all deserve a life unburdened by the societally created identity, we all deserve to unlearn self abuse and self hatred. i am on the journey now, and I’m sharing so that we may all feel more comfortable in a conversation that may be confusing.
“emotion is COOL, dysphoria is OK. living as a human is INTENSE. we are all holding hands. Don’t forget.”
Dove is "interested in a life unburdened by myself," but admitted that is easier in theory than in practice, but we’re making room."
She added: "I am beginning to have a hope that the public platform that has been difficult for me to learn to take up space as myself in, can actually be the conduit for change/mutual support/exploration/safety.
"Maybe the spaces that are the least human can become the most human, if we want that, and we can all let each other take up a little more space. i love you."
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