Demi Lovato Opens Up About Her Late Dad’s Mental Illness

Demi Lovato has long been open about her late father’s struggle with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, even going on to create the Lovato Treatment Scholarship Program for individuals struggling with mental illness and addiction after his death in 2013. On her latest album, Confident, she dedicated a track to her dad, and talked about her experience in an interview on her YouTube channel.

“I was very conflicted when he passed because he was abusive,” Lovato says in the video. “He was mean, but he wanted to be a good person and he wanted to have this family. When my mom married my stepdad...he would say, ‘I’m so glad he’s taking care of you and doing the job I never could.’”

It’s not often that you hear people be so candid about the struggles of having a close family member who is dealing with mental illness, much less a high-profile celebrity, so it’s admirable that Lovato would be so honest. Check out the video, above.

(via Cosmopolitan)