Demi Lovato on mental illness and her dad's funeral

Demi Lovato has spoken of her father's struggle with mental illness following his funeral and announced the launch of her foundation to help fellow sufferers.

Following Patrick Lovato's funeral on Saturday, Demi took to Twitter to say, "Today I put my Daddy to rest... hardest thing I've ever done... But I know great things will come of this... #LovatoTreatmentScholarship."

The Lovato Treatment Scholarship programme will work in partnership with CAST Recovery treatment centre in California, which offers health and drug intervention and outpatient services.

It will cover expenses for some people struggling with mental health and addiction issues, including transitional living homes and clinical services at CAST's outpatient programme.

Demi was estranged from her father Patrick for the past six years, but was clearly moved by his battle with cancer and had sympathy for his struggle with mental illness, as she has suffered from depression herself since she was just seven-years-old.
The X Factor USA judge spent time in a rehab facility in 2010 after experiencing emotional and physical issues of self-harm, alcohol abuse and an eating disorder. While in rehab she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

The actress and singer has been in the limelight from an early age, appearing on TV show Barney and Friends at age 10, which has had a detrimental effect on her self-esteem.

"Even when I did lose 20lbs when I turned 12 because I stopped eating, it's never enough. It was an obsession of the mind," she said last year.

She has since said that she did not act responsibly before she addressed her issues in rehab, "I learned that ignorance stood in the way of my insight. I wasn't really being honest with the way I used to live," Demi told Fashion magazine.

"I was pretending to be a role model during the day and turning into a wild child at night."

Although clearly upset by her father's death, she has taken a positive stance on her Twitter account, "There's an overwhelming sense of peace knowing my dad is no longer battling his demons anymore and that makes me so happy..."

Demi is currently a judge on The X Factor USA alongside Simon Cowell and Kelly Rowland and is promoting her new album Demi.

source : hellomagazine