Singer JoJo reveals she was diagnosed with depression 10 years ago: 'I didn't feel any shame seeking help'

Amy Johnson
·Contributor
·2 min read
JoJo attends the 6th Annual Imagine Ball at The Peppermint Club on October 13, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
JoJo attends the 6th Annual Imagine Ball at The Peppermint Club on October 13, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)

Singer JoJo has divulged that she was diagnosed with clinical depression a decade ago and has been taking antidepressants and going to therapy since the age of 18.

It came after the artist suffered setbacks in both her life and career but due to family history, she had no qualms about seeking treatment.

“Because there is a history of mental health issues in my family, I didn’t feel any shame seeking help," she told People.

“Those of us who have a predisposition toward depression or a chemical imbalance — sometimes we just need a little help.”

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JoJo, real name Joanna Noëlle Levesque, rose to fame in her early teens, but she struggled in her personal life due to her father Joel's opioid addiction.

JoJo arrives at the Teen Choice Awards on Sunday Aug. 9, 2009, in Universal City, Calif. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
JoJo arrives at the Teen Choice Awards on Sunday Aug. 9, 2009, in Universal City, Calif. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

Her professional life was also under strain as she found herself locked in a battle with her record label over her third album. She's recently opened up about being set up with a nutritionist by her label at the time, Blackground, and claimed she was put on a 500-calorie a day diet aged 18.

The 29-year-old told the publication that she turned to alcohol due to feeling "so scared and so sad". However, she was able to turn things around following the diagnosis as she began to look at "what [she] could control".

“What was out of my control was I never knew what I was going to get from my father, if he was going to OD again; if my record label was going to let me out of my deal, or if I was ever going to legally be able to own my own voice again," she said.

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JoJo was eventually freed from her contract with the record label in 2014, one year after filing a lawsuit against Blackground and imprint Da Family Records.

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Her father sadly died in his sleep in 2015 at the age of 60 due to complications arising from his addiction.

The Leave (Get Out) hitmaker brought out her third album in 2016 and is preparing to release her fourth album on 1 May.