Selena Gomez health conditions: what the star has battled over the years

Selena Gomez's health conditions have received as much attention over the years as the star's acting and singing career. 

Our beloved Mabel from Only Murders in the Building and queen of the breakup song has been entertaining us for what feels like a lifetime—quite literally, she got her start on Barney & Friends—but no matter what the Disney vet tackles, she's always putting her mind and body at the forefront. 

"Anyone who knows me knows I will always start with my health and my wellbeing," she told Harper's Bazaar in 2018.

Whether it's a mental health initiative through her Rare Beauty makeup line, the creation of her platform Wondermind, or an empowering speech on the perception of perfection, the performer keeps the conversation candid.

Now, she is stepping into documentary territory with the release of Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me. The Apple TV+ project not only focuses on her battle with lupus but how she has come to terms with her anxiety and depression to move forward and make changes.

"Clearly, I'm still here to use whatever I have to help somebody else," we hear her say in the trailer. Ahead of the project's release on Friday, November 4, here's what Gomez has experienced throughout the years when the cameras stopped rolling.

Selena Gomez health conditions

Since an early age, Gomez has been frank about her anxiety, depression and fear of never being good enough for her legions of fans. We noticed her take an interest in the mental health conversation when she decided to serve as an executive producer on Netflix's controversial adaptation of 13 Reasons Why. 

Rather than shy away from the material, Gomez wanted to face it head-on with candor. In an interview with Z100, she said: "I understood that we were going into something that is difficult, but these kids today are so exposed to things that I would never even have comprehended. I feel like if this is what we are going to talk about, we might as well do it in a way that's going to be honest, it's going to be real, and it stays true to the book."

She opened up to fans in 2016 about her decisions to go to rehab years prior—a combination of anxiety, depression, and familial tragedies. Four years later, she got even franker and admitted she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder while on Bright Minded: Live With Miley on Instagram.

"When I have more information, it actually helps me, it doesn’t scare me once I know it," she told her Disney counterpart, Miley Cyrus. "When I finally said what I was going to say, I wanted to know everything about it and it took the fear away."

Perhaps the most serious condition of all is the star's lupus diagnosis. According to Parkview Health, lupus of the kidney—which is what Gomez experienced—commonly affects people's ability to make urine or causes them to bleed while urinating. She underwent a kidney transplant in 2017. Her best friend, Francia Raisa, was the donor. 

"The thought of asking someone to do that was really difficult for me," Gomez told People. "She volunteered and did it. And let alone someone wanting to volunteer, it is incredibly difficult to find a match. The fact that she was a match, I mean, that’s unbelievable. That’s not real."

Selena Gomez kidney transplant drama

What was supposed to be a transformative procedure to improve her health was met with judgment. 

Gomez previously made a joke about her wine consumption, to which a fan stated: "So one of your best friends gives you her kidney and you continue to drink excessively? Damn, Selena."

The singer-actress replied: "It was a joke, ass."

The TikTok video below is what drew the controversy. 

@selenagomez

♬ original sound - Dr. Dawn Bantel, NMD

Additionally, Gomez's transplant was the topic of conversation in the Paramount+ drama The Good Fight, which the star did not take lightly. 

"I am not sure how writing jokes about organ transplants for television shows has become a thing but sadly it has apparently. I hope in the next writer’s room when one of these tasteless jokes are presented it’s called out immediately and doesn’t make it on air," she tweeted, along with a link about donation information.

'Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me' premiere

Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me will be available on Apple TV+ beginning Friday, November 4.

While yes, the star has had some amazing experiences, she's not one to shy away from the difficult ones, either—something that her fanbase definitely appreciates.

"Everything that I've gone through, it's gonna be there," she says in the My Mind & Me trailer. "I'm just making it my friend now."

Remember to always prioritize your mental and physical health and ask for guidance, should you need it. If you're looking for ways to stay grounded, explore how to start a self-care journal, peruse the best meditation apps available or explore whether therapy vs counseling is right for you.