Why Halsey Gives Me Hope in Mental Health Recovery
My boyfriend recently asked me if I wanted to go see one of my favorite singers, Halsey, in concert; to which my response was (after gasping), “Yes absolutely!” I’ve loved Halsey’s music ever since I first heard her song “Colors,” and after listening to her entire “Badlands” album, I was hooked. Her music was always different from the other stuff I heard on my Spotify “recommended for you” playlist. But it wasn’t just her music that drew me to her, I felt some kind of connection with the emotion Halsey put behind her lyrics that I was never able to explain, that is, until my boyfriend sent me an article about her personal life in preparation for her concert.
The article was all about Halsey and her mental health challenges. As I read more and more, I realized that me and this singer/songwriter I had never met had an awful lot in common. We are both queer (Halsey is bisexual, I am gay), biracial, we both have spent time in psychiatric hospitals as a result of active suicidal intent/attempt, both of us were teenagers when we were admitted, and she has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, something my care team is evaluating me for. And a not so relevant similarity, but we share a favorite color: blue.
After reading the article, my mouth was quite literally left hanging open. Halsey was no longer just a singer whose music I loved, she was something I haven’t had in a long time: a role model. An example of someone who has struggled in so many of the same ways I have who has managed to lead such a successful life. Hearing stories of people who vaguely go through similar struggles as me has never been incredibly reassuring to me since I’ve always thought, “Yes, they are striving, but they’re not like me in any way except in one area.” Having someone who I really share a lot in common with who has achieved so much in life is inspiring and motivating me to start thinking a different way — maybe I can lead a valuable, successful life too.
If you or someone you know needs help, visit our suicide prevention resources page.
If you need support right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “HOME” to 741-741. Head here for a list of crisis centers around the world.
Lead image via Halsey’s Facebook
Brian is a proud Super Contributor for The Mighty, writing stories and articles about mental health/illness and physical/chronic illness. He graduated in 2021 with a BS in Neuroscience from American University in Washington D.C. and was driven by his passion for mental illness research during his undergraduate studies. Brian is now a first-year seminarian at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington D.C. pursuing to become an ordained pastor. He hopes to be a bridge between the science of mental and physical illnesses, personal experience, and spirituality to ultimately help people on their own journeys. In his downtime, Brian is a freelance portrait photographer and enjoys studying the intersections of science and philosophy.
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