Disney Star Airs Self-Documentary About Addiction

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The venue still vibrates from the power of bass and echoes from the fans still linger in the air as the spotlight shines onto an empty stage. This is the one place in the world that Disney star Demi Lovato feels like she is meant to be.

            “Music is what I love to do, music is my life, like it runs in my veins,” said Lovato in her documentary, “DemiLovato: Stay Strong,” which aired on MTV on Tuesday, March 2, 2012.

With a shaky voice and tear-filled eyes, Lovato poured her heart out to a camera that recorded her every move, tear and emotion since her time in Timberline Knolls Treatment Center a year ago. 

Now, she shares those moments with the public.

In this documentary, Lovato talked about her struggle with addiction, not with drugs, but with an eating disorder and self injury.

Lovato was just 11 when she started cutting herself, an act she had seen on TV and around school.

“I didn’t even understand it when I was doing it,” said Lovato in an interview with ABC’s 20/20. “It was a way of expressing my own shame of myself on my own body; I was matching the inside to the outside.”

Lovato’s scars are now covered with thick black tattoos that profess the words “stay strong” on both her wrists.

Lovato’s career started on Barney and Friends when she was seven-years old. She discussed working with other kids who had the flat stomachs that she desired.

Lovato, suffering with depression since she was seven-years old, recalled a time when she rubbed her small innocent hands over her four-year-old tummy thinking she was fat.

“Maybe that had to do with like I don’t know, my parents separating when I was really young, but I think also you can be born with those things like there has never been a period of time where I have ever felt good enough or worthy enough,” said Lovato.

Kids bullied Lovato, called her fat and the emotional damage it created resulted in her suffering from anorexia, bulimia and purging.

“I literally didn’t know why they were being so mean to me and they would just say, “oh you’re fat,” and then a few months later I developed an eating disorder,” said Lovato.

“I was always striving for a goal that never came,” said Lovato. “Even when I did lose 30 pounds when I turned 12 because I stopped eating -- that’s the problem with eating disorders, it’s never enough. “

Lovato’s career took off when she starred as “Mitchie Torres,” a young girl with passion to become a professional singer, on Disney Channels hit movie, “Camp Rock” which aired on June 20, 2008.

Lovato, just 14, landed this role, with co-stars Nick, Joe and Kevin Jonas, who are also famously known as “The Jonas Brothers.”

Lovato explained that after the airing of Camp Rock everything changed.

She went on the road with The Jonas Brothers.

Lovato explained that once she went on tour with The Jonas Brothers, her life became a repetitive act of TV shows, movies and albums all back to back.

“I didn’t have any time off and I was just kinda going with it like I loved it,” said Lovato. “This is kind of when it got a little crazy and I would say maybe, possibly a little out of control.”

This became a time for Lovato where the issues that were lying underneath her skin were coming to the surface, however putting band-aids over what seemed like a bullet wound was the only solution at the time.

It didn’t take long before an intervention was needed.

            Lovato’s parents sat her down and told her a plane was waiting to take her to treatment.

            Lovato thought to herself. She knew that she had lost everything and that there was nowhere else to.

            Lovato continued to show a side of her to the public that was raw and real.

            “There are days that I don’t think I can make it,” said Lovato.  “Now I’m being healthy, but that’s the thing like an addiction is an addiction and you’re going to deal with this for the rest of your life and you’re going to have days where you’re going to struggle.”

            Lovato admitted that she couldn’t say she hadn’t thrown up or cut herself since treatment.

            “I’m not perfect, this is a daily battle that I will face for the rest of my life,” said Lovato.

            After Lovato came out about her problems to the public, fans were inspired to seek treatment for their own problems and admit over all that they had one.

            Everyday, celebrities’ names are slapped onto the covers of magazines from US Weekly to the National Enquirer, telling stories and rumors of what is supposedly going on in the lives of the rich and famous.

            Many celebrities choose to ignore the rumors knowing that it comes with the territory and the lifestyle.

            However Lovato, being only 19 years-old, made the decision to end to rumors, the ideas and assumptions of what her problems really were.

            She had the courage to show a documentary to the public that was full of raw emotion, pain and struggles, which is an act that not many ordinary people would have the strength to do.

            Throughout the film Lovato shares how important music is to her and how it has saved her life.

            “Without music it would be really really hard to survive and really really hard to stay in recovery,” said Lovato.

Depression that goes untreated is the number one leading cause of suicide, and suicide has become the third leading cause of death in teenagers.

            Reported by experts on TWLOHA.com, approximately 4% of the world’s population suffers from self-injury.

            Self-injury is the act of harming one’s self. It includes cutting, burning, picking of wounds and more.

Demi Lovato is one of the 121 million people world-wide suffering from depression.

            What this teen went through was not different because of how many albums she has sold or how many movies she appears in.

            This documentary showed viewers that celebrities are real people with real problems. Just because they live the life of glam and fame doesn’t mean that behind magazine smile, lies an ordinary person.

            “Many celebrities don't truly deal with their problems or will go into a rehab center and leave as quickly as they can and go back to their old habit,” said St. Bonaventure student, Gabrielle Filiberti.  “It's amazing to see how seriously she is taking her recovery, and how open she is so that she can try to help others.”

            Lovato explained that those suffering with issues need to find the courage to speak up and get help because if you don’t you will lose everything.

            “I always had a lot of respect for her as a person, but this definitely added to that,” said Filiberti. “It shows people how serious these issues are, and how it’s not okay to just hold it in.”

            It does not matter if you are famous, ordinary, male or female if you or someone you know is suffering from depression or any struggling with a dangerous issue. Talk to someone because everyone deserves a chance at starting over.