Selena Gomez's Upcoming Documentary Is All About Her Mental Health Journey

In honor of World Mental Health Day Oct. 10, Selena Gomez shared the trailer for her upcoming documentary, Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, produced by Apple TV+, on Instagram. The film, produced and directed by Alek Keshishian (who also directed Madonna’s Truth or Dare), was filmed over a six-year period.

The trailer opens with various shots of Gomez, from present-day and childhood, with her voiceover stating, “Just be who you are, Selena. No one cares about what you’re doing. It’s about who I am. Being OK with where I am. I am grateful to be alive.”

Various parts of the singer’s life are mentioned in the trailer, including her Lupus diagnosis — which led to her having a kidney transplant in 2017 — in addition to her mental health struggles. Over the years, Gomez has spoken openly about them, including how she attended a treatment program for anxiety and depression back in 2014 and 2018. And in 2020, she revealed her bipolar diagnosis. At the time, Gomez told Good Morning America, “It was really freeing to have the information. It made me really happy because I started to have a relationship with myself, and I think that’s the best part.”

Earlier this year, when asked what the past two years have been like for her, Gomez told InStyle, “I became aware that my little world is complicated, but the picture is much bigger than the stuff I deal with. I have problems with depression and anxiety, and I found it difficult for me to be me.” Initially, she said she did not want to post about it on social media because she realized she was in a situation where she was extremely blessed. “What could I possibly post or say,” she said. “Then I had the idea of inviting multiple people to be on my Instagram to tell their stories.” And many do. Now, Gomez seems like an unofficial spokesperson for mental health.

Speaking of which, as the Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me trailer wraps up, Gomez says, "I'm happier and I'm in control of my emotions and thoughts. More than I have ever been.”

In addition to speaking openly about mental health, Gomez helps others by giving back through humanitarian efforts. In another part of the trailer, she says, “My whole life since I was a kid I've been working. And I don't want to be like super famous, but I know that if I'm here, I have to use that for good.” As we see her connecting with various people onscreen, Gomez says, "What makes me happy is connection and it helps me get out of my head … Clearly I'm still here to use whatever I have to help someone else.”

Offscreen, she helps others, too. For instance, the Rare Impact Fund, through her Rare Beauty brand, donates part of all sales to mental health services, and also raises money for other philanthropic foundations. And earlier this year, Gomez launched Wondermind, a mental health platform, along with her mother and Daniella Pierson, founder and CEO of The Newsette.

Of the documentary, director Keshishian said, “I had no interest in making a traditional pop doc. I wanted to show something more authentic and Selena did, too. She has a raw vulnerability that captured me… I had no idea then that it would become a six-year labor of love.”