Mel B Reveals 'Knowledge Is Power' in Tweet Amid Rehab Announcement

Singer Mel B checked into rehab last week, following the end of her messy divorce from Stephen [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

Singer Mel B checked into rehab last week, following the end of her messy divorce from Stephen Belafonte. The former Spice Girls singer tweeted a link to the definition of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder after she broke the news on Sunday.

"Knowledge is power," the singer, whose real name is Melanie Brown, tweeted. She included a link to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs page defining PTSD.

"PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault," the page reads.

The VA also points out that anyone can suffer from PTSD, not just veterans.

Brown announced her rehab stint in an interview with The Sun. She said she was diagnosed with PTSD and is also seeking treatment for alcoholism and sex addiction.

Her decision to do so came a few weeks after she and Belafonte finally reached a divorce settlement, more than a year after Brown filed for divorce. The bitter divorce proceedings included Brown making allegations of abuse against Belafonte, who denied those claims.

"I have recently been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. The past six months have been incredibly difficult for me," Brown told The Sun. "I've been working with a writer on my book, Brutally Honest, and it has been unbelievably traumatic reliving an emotionally abusive relationship and confronting so many massive issues in my life. I am being very honest about drinking to numb my pain but that is just a way a lot of people mask what is really going on."

The America's Got Talent judge said she realized she used sex and alcohol as coping mechanisms, and needed to go to rehab.

"Sometimes it is too hard to cope with all the emotions I feel. But the problem has never been about sex or alcohol — it is underneath all that. I am fully aware I have been at a crisis point. No one knows myself better than I do - but I am dealing with it," Brown said. "I'm not perfect, and I have never pretended to be. But I am working on being a better version of myself for my kids - whom I love more than life itself - and for all the people who have supported me."

Brown's mother, Andrea Brown, also shared a message on Twitter, praising her daughter's decision.

"I'm so proud of my daughter. She has the courage to face demons head on and deal with them. I know what the hell she has been through, and I know what traumas she has suffered and still suffers," Andrea wrote.

Brown will be seeking treatment in the U.K. and said she hopes being open with her struggles will inspire others to seek the help they need.

"I am still struggling but if I can shine a light on the issue of pain, PTSD and the things men and women do to mask it, I will do," Brown said. "I am speaking about this because this is a huge issue for so many people."

Brutally Honest will be released on Nov. 27.

Photo credit: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic/Getty Images

0comments
Start the Conversation

of