justin bieber documentary
Justin Bieber in his new YouTube documentary, "Next Chapter."
Justin Bieber/YouTube
  • Justin Bieber opened up about mental illness in his new YouTube documentary, “Next Chapter.” 
  • “There was times when I was really, really suicidal. Like, ‘Man is this pain ever going to go away?’ It was so consistent, the pain was so consistent,” he said.
  • “I was just suffering, right? So I’m just like, ‘Man, I would rather not feel this than feel this.'”
  • He said he hopes his story will encourage others to ask for help, and that his faith in God gave him “this overwhelming confidence” to heal.
  • Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Justin Bieber spoke openly about suicidal ideation in his new YouTube documentary, “Next Chapter.”

The 26-year-old pop star said he felt isolated by his rapid rise to fame as a teenager, and didn’t know how to ask for help.

“You are this like, star that is supposed to have it all together, and you don’t realize the power of just saying, ‘Hey, this is how I’m feeling,'” he said. “I just kind of let the insecurities of everything going on dictate how I started to move.”

“There was times when I was really, really suicidal,” he continued.

“Like, ‘Man is this pain ever going to go away?’ It was so consistent, the pain was so consistent. I was just suffering, right? So I’m just like, ‘Man, I would rather not feel this than feel this.'”

justin bieber documentary
Justin Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, said there were times when he was relieved the young pop star hadn't died.
Justin Bieber/YouTube

Though Bieber has never explicitly discussed suicide, he has opened up about his struggles with mental illness in the past, particularly as they intersect with fame.

At a listening party for his most recent album "Changes," released in early February, Bieber discussed his depression and admitted, "I don't even think I should be alive never mind thrive."

In an episode of his previous YouTube Original docuseries, "Seasons," he said his team feared for his life at the height of his addiction to weed, lean, and pills.

But now, Bieber said he's doing better than ever, and that his faith in God gave him "this overwhelming confidence" to heal.

justin bieber chance the rapper documentary
Chance the Rapper and Justin Bieber have collaborated on numerous songs, including "Juke Jam," "I'm the One," and "Holy."
Justin Bieber/YouTube

"I'm in the best place in my whole life, right now. I'm the most fulfilled. I feel the most stable. I feel the most secure. I feel the most confident. I feel so, just, at peace," he told his friend and collaborator, Chance the Rapper, in "Next Chapter."

"For the first time in my life, I don't feel like I'm striving. I feel like I know who God's called me to be, where I am, where I'm supposed to be. I'm walking in the plans of God."

The "Lonely" singer said he hopes his story will encourage others to ask for help.

"I just would encourage people, like, 'Hey if you're feeling lonely, talk about it. Say it out loud,'" he said. There's a freedom in that. I could've avoided a lot of pain."

Watch the full episode of "Next Chapter" below.

Read the original article on Insider