Jimmie Allen Opens up About His Mental Health Struggles

Jimmie Allen is getting candid about his mental health. In a series of tweets over the weekend, the country singer, who previously discussed his struggle with bipolar disorder, opened up about his mental health struggles, sharing with fans that he has struggled with “mental illness” since he was a teenager.

In the first of what would be two tweets shared on Friday, March 4, the “Best Shot” singer offered up an encouraging message to others battling mental illness. Allen wrote that “sharing your struggles let’s other people struggling with the same thing know they are not alone. We are not alone.” Allen then went on to share his own battle with mental illness, writing that he has “battled with mental illness since I was 13.” Reflecting on his own battle, Allen acknowledged that “it feels like you’re alone and people sometimes call you crazy or think you’re crazy because they don’t understand you.” Writing that “everyday is a struggle,” Allen encouraged others battling mental illness to “continue to fight and survive.”

Allen’s candid tweets come almost two years after he first opened up about his battle with mental illness. In an April 2020 Instagram post, the country singer revealed that “mental illness is something I struggle with and so many others.” Allen went on to share that he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when he was just 13. He added that “this is the first time I’ve ever put those feelings into words. To everyone struggling daily fighting internal battles, Remember you’re not alone. Seek help. People are there for you.”

Just a month later, Allen again opened up about his mental health battle in an interview with PEOPLE, telling the outlet that self-isolation amid the coronavirus pandemic negatively affected his mental health. Although Allen, who said he aims to avoid treating his disorder with traditional medicine due to adverse side effects, said he found the first few weeks of lockdown “easy,” he admitted that as the pandemic continued, he began to struggle and not even music was a helpful distraction. The musician shared that music, touring, and being around others was beneficial to his mental, and when that was “stripped” from his life, he said he had to “readjust and figure out, ‘What else can I do to help myself get through this?’”

Allen also shared that since first opening up about his struggles with mental health, others, including other country artists, reached out to him to share their own stories. Recalling one conversation he had with someone who asked why he decided to go public with his diagnosis, Allen said he didn’t want “people to feel like they’re on an island by themselves… My thing was, if there’s anyway to let them know, ‘Hey, you’re not in this by yourself, someone that you might listen to on the radio has the same struggles as you. It reinforces the fact that we’re all human, we all struggle with something.”