Written by: THE BALANCE
Medically reviewed by Dr. Sarah Boss, MD
Last updated: February 7, 2026
Fact checked
Quick Summary
  • Selena Gomez, an acclaimed American singer, actress, and producer, has faced significant health challenges over the past decade — both physical and mental.
  • Diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disease, in 2014, Gomez's journey has included multiple medical treatments, surgeries, and stays in rehabilitation and therapy centers.
  • While many celebrities conceal their struggles, Gomez has been remarkably open with her fans — the Selenators — about her ongoing battles with anxiety, depression, and emotional exhaustion, conditions often linked to her chronic illness.
Reading time: 6 min

Selena Gomez, an acclaimed American singer, actress, and producer, has faced significant health challenges over the past decade — both physical and mental. Diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disease, in 2014, Gomez’s journey has included multiple medical treatments, surgeries, and stays in rehabilitation and therapy centers.

While many celebrities conceal their struggles, Gomez has been remarkably open with her fans — the Selenators — about her ongoing battles with anxiety, depression, and emotional exhaustion, conditions often linked to her chronic illness. From her lupus treatment and kidney transplant to her mental health rehabs in Arizona, Tennessee, and Connecticut, Gomez’s transparency has reshaped how the world views mental health, chronic disease, and celebrity vulnerability.

This article provides a chronological overview of Selena Gomez’s health issues, from her lupus diagnosis to her therapy and rehabilitation for depression and anxiety. It also includes expert commentary explaining how autoimmune disease and chronic stress can impact mental wellness, highlighting the importance of integrated physical and psychological treatment. [1]

Gomez discreetly finished a 2-week term at the Meadows, an Arizona recovery center, in January 2014.

Gomez’s representative told E! News at the time that Selena willingly spent some time at Meadows but not for drug addiction. Although it was unknown at the time what prompted her to seek assistance, she later revealed that her recent lupus diagnosis and chemotherapy drug treatment were the catalysts for her withdrawal from the spotlight. (source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)

She herself revealed to the media that she had been diagnosed with lupus and had undergone chemotherapy.  She had further added that it was the true purpose of her vacation. While narrating her rehab story she said that she could’ve had a stroke as a consequence of her physical illness.

Ben Affleck Rehab and Relapse (source: FindTreatment)

She commented, referring to the assumption that it was tied to substance abuse problems that people had no idea what she was going through. that she was at the time was undergoing chemotherapy. She had disturbed by people commenting on her status without actually knowing what was happening to her. She added that she had shut herself away until she felt confident and at ease again.

Although she returned from rehabilitation feeling much better than ever, the former Disney actress entered another rehabilitation center in Tennessee for depression and anxiety 2 years later, in August 2016.

She took it to media to let her fans know that she had already revealed about her lupus about a year ago and she discovered that depression, panic attacks, and anxiety can be health consequences of lupus, which can bring their own set of challenges. She added that she want to be cautious and focus on keeping her health and happiness, so she decided that taking some time off is the best way forward. [4]

Gomez’s 90-day stay in Tennessee coincided with the end of her Revival World Tour, forcing her to withdraw from the remaining concerts. Gomez had to abandon her phone and engage in individual, group, and equestrian treatments while she was there.

In March 2017, she told Vogue that she felt incredible being just with six girls.” t was one of the most difficult things she had ever done, but it was also the most rewarding. (source: American Psychological Association)

Gomez stated she underwent a kidney donation from her closest buddy, Francia Raisa, just a few months later, in the summers of 2017, due to lupus symptoms. Raisa gave her the “ultimate gift,” but it wasn’t enough to keep her mental wellbeing intact.

Gomez sought treatment for 2 weeks in a high-end Connecticut clinic in early 2018. She focused on psychotherapy, meditation, healthy nutrition, and pilates while she was there. (source: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

Despite leaving the institution in a better state, Gomez’s problems appeared to be resurfacing after her split from longstanding on-again, off-again lover Justin Bieber and his unexpected engagement to Hailey Baldwin. The singer of “It Ain’t Me” began giving out her items on Instagram and wrote a weird message to Jennifer Lopez, which was the tipping point before she announced a social media vacation.

She posted a snapshot of herself grinning in the mirror that as much as she was grateful for the platform that social media is giving each of us, she was equally thankful to be able to stand back and live her life present to the moment she had been granted. She added that kindness and encouragement are only good for a short time! She finished the post urging the people to just keep in mind that negative comments can be hurtful to anyone’s sentiments.

Gomez was hospitalized just days after leaving social media after becoming emotional and despondent over a low white blood cell count, prompting a family member to drive her to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. She was discharged a few days later but was transferred back the following week since her white blood cell count did not improve, sending her into a downward spiral. (source: NIAMS, 2023)

She did DBT, or dialectical behavior therapy, at an East Coast psychiatric facility, which aims to teach the clients mindfulness, constructive communication and behavioral patterns, emotional stability, and how to respond better to negative experiences.

Lupus is a type of autoimmune disease wherein the immune system produces antibodies that target the body’s normal tissue. It can cause tiredness, weight loss, discomfort, and pain in 2 or more joints, which might linger for several weeks.  (source: NIMH, 2024)

Anxiety and depression are observed in nearly one-third of all persons with lupus, as per The Johns Hopkins Lupus Center.

It might be induced by the condition, the medications used for treating it, or poor coping techniques. (source: NIMH, 2024 (Anxiety))

However, lupus researcher and rheumatologist Dr. H. Michael Belmont, a professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health, notes that entering a facility due to lupus-related mental illness is extremely rare.

(Belmont clarifies that he has not interviewed, reviewed, or seen Gomez’s chart and is talking in general.)

He said that he has treated 3,000 lupus patients and maybe a half dozen had the sort of a mental problem like Selena mentioned at some point. [10]

According to Belmont, Gomez’s reaction to her lupus diagnosis might have triggered her emotions.

Belmont said that patients with chronic diseases like multiple sclerosis, cancer, disfiguring skin diseases and cystic fibrosis can become stressed and anxious since no one likes that experience. (source: MedlinePlus, 2024)

He explains that as she was a high-functioning renowned singer and when you get sick, it affects the person’s quality of life.

I believe she was suffering from a serious illness that harmed her quality of life, altered her attitude and capacity to work and perform on stage, and indirectly contributed to panic attacks and anxiety, as she described them to the public. (source: NIDDK, 2024)

According to David Cosio, Ph.D., a psychologist and pain specialist, Gomez’s distress could be the result of ongoing emotional pressures.

He commented on the same matter saying that anxiety and depression have a relationship and this synergy could play a role in physical symptoms including headaches, stomach problems, and the inflammatory picture of lupus.

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