C anadian pop superstar Justin Bieber lit up the internet this week, by announcing to the world that he has Lyme disease.
Of course, I don’t wish this miserable illness on anybody. But there’s no denying that when a famous person says they have Lyme disease, it makes news. And helps raise awareness for everybody else.
The fifth of Justin Bieber’s 10-part autobiographical documentary series has been released on YouTube. It gives details about the superstar’s mental health issues and his diagnosis and treatment for Lyme disease.
Some of the specifics are pretty raw. The 25-year-old singer started using marijuana about age 13. Eventually, he moved on to heavier drugs, alcohol and self-destructive behaviors.
At one point, he notes during the documentary, staff members would come into his bedroom in the middle of night to make sure he was still breathing.
Eventually, he wanted to quit drugs and sought help from a variety of specialists. His psychiatrist, Dr. Daniel Amen, is interviewed in the video, as is Dr. Erica Lehman, who has diagnosed and treated him for Lyme disease. (Dr. Lehman, who practices in Los Angeles, serves with me on the board of LymeDisease.org.)
At one point, the video shows Bieber using a portable hyperbaric oxygen chamber, as well as receiving IV infusions at his doctor’s office. Bieber and his wife Hailey describe what a tough ordeal it’s been. At one point, Bieber comments, “If you’re not going to give up, the only thing to do is push through.”
Episodes can be viewed for free on YouTube. New ones are released on Mondays and Wednesdays. Here’s #5, where he discusses Lyme disease.
Celebrity gossip site TMZ broke the story early Wednesday morning. Bieber then shared that with his 124 million Instagram followers.
According to TMZ, Bieber will unveil a multi-part documentary on his YouTube channel starting on January 27. It will reportedly discuss the “scary symptoms” he endured throughout most of 2019—until he was finally diagnosed with Lyme disease.
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