Dove Cameron has revealed to her fans that she sometimes feels "terrorised" by her identity.
The Boyfriend singer and Descendants actress took to Instagram on Wednesday and revealed her battle with depression and dysphoria with fans, captioning a series of tearful mirror selfies.
"For me, identity and the self have always been diametrically opposed, and there has only ever been room for one at a time to occupy my life," the 26-year-old began her post. "I have never been able to make them hold hands, and I realize as I get older, it's because I hold a deep seeded belief that who I am is wrong, I am not allowed to be just as I am, I am not meant to be here. So far, the self and the identity seem to harm each other, in my personal experience."
The Liv and Maddie star revealed she has been covering mirrors, crying a lot and feeling wrong in clothes she used to love as she is sometimes "terrorized by my identity and image".
A major factor in her depression, Dove explained, is her public image: "Sexuality and performative gender norms, societal rewards and identity are really throwing me for a loop. Social media and mirrors and branding and the constant broadcasting of self and visibility of ourselves and everyone everywhere is not optimal for mental health, clarity of energy or relationship to our inner world. For any of us."
Dysphoria, the opposite of euphoria, is a profound state of unease or dissatisfaction and may accompany conditions such as depression and anxiety.
