Music has always been her outlet
Creativity was a savior for Nessa Barrett’s mental health, and it’s always been like that. This is why her songs are so personal—they’re like a journal for her real life, and she’s always done that since she was a child. Her parents had a recording studio at home, which she frequently visited from a young age. She said that music saved her life and still acts as a form of therapy today in challenging times.
She’s always struggled with mental health
Like many creative individuals, mental health has always been a journey for Nessa Barrett. She’s been in therapy since she was only six years old for anxiety, and when she was 14 years old, she was misdiagnosed with depression. Unfortunately, many of her emotional issues were dismissed by her very religious parents, who thought praying would solve everything. Nessa suffered from multiple concussions as a teenager and overdosed on pain pills in a tragic suicide attempt. Finally, she was diagnosed at age 18 with Borderline Personality Disorder.
Barrett has experienced body image issues
Along with very severe self-esteem and body image problems, Barrett is a survivor of the eating disorder known as anorexia. Although she was always open about her other struggles, she was secretive about anorexia, which she has suffered from since middle school, as well as her insecurity about her height since she is 4’11”. Fame only added more pressure since the critics always had something to say about her appearance, and she even admitted to abusing substances to curb her appetite. She did seek out treatment and now understands that being healthy is key to her performance as an artist.
