British music queen Charli XCX has opened up about her mental health and the stigma surrounding therapy in a recent interview with Apple Music’s Beats 1 Radio show.
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The 27-year-old artist released her third album Charli on September 20, which explores her journey with self-improvement and examination, including her experiences with the stigma surrounding therapy. The album is Charli’s most personal work to date, and she believes sharing her story through the tracks has been its own form of therapy for her. It’s her first album in five years, and this time she’s “being more honest than ever before.”
Although she’s never accessed psychological therapy herself, Charli wants to spread the message that it is a great form of medical treatment that should be more widely accepted in the UK.
“I’m not anti-therapy at all. I’ve never been anti it; I think it’s brilliant and great and I think everybody should have it because it’s like going to the doctors,” she told Julie Adenuga in the interview. “It’s like you go for a physical checkup and so you should do the same for your mental health.”
She went on to explain how she felt “nervous” in the past about needing therapy, largely due to the stigma attached to it in the UK, unlike America, where seeing a therapist has become the norm.
“I feel like there is this stigma in the UK about, ‘Oh therapy, it’s a bit LA isn’t it?’ I really do think that. I think it’s less common here to be very open about it,” Charli said. “I think there’s also a thought that only really rich people can get a therapist and I don’t think that’s the case.”
After doing some research, the 1999 singer feels as though she could benefit from the service and would like to try it in future.
“I’ve never done it before, just because it’s felt a bit alien to me, but I’ve never been anti it, I think I’ve just been nervous. Now I’m like, ‘Okay, I think I really want to do that.’”
Honestly, therapy is excellent and everyone should see a therapist if you can afford it.
Like Australia, the UK has a number of free or low-cost mental health treatment options, but (also like Australia) they usually come with wait lists that aren’t exactly an option when you’re really suffering with psychological disorders. Frankly, this is a huge issue in Australia and around the world.
According to Mental Health First Aid England, up to 75% of people suffering from diagnosable mental illnesses do not receive any sort of treatment for their condition, Refinery 29 reports.
Seeking help for your mental health is fucking hard. Finding out that you have to wait 3-6 months to get treatment when you finally find the strength to seek help is basically the definition of being kicked when you’re down. The system is deeply flawed and the most vulnerable members of our community are the ones paying the ultimate price for it.
Charli, who’s music career has been largely based on party beats and basically supplying us all with pre-drink bops™, is starting to reveal more of her personal side through her latest record, and is committed to using her platform to spread awareness on important issues such as mental illness. Throughout the interview, Charli remained brutally honest about her emotions and mental health, reminding us all that even the biggest celebrities could benefit from a bit of therapy from time to time.
