If you’ve ever experienced serious anxiety or depression, you’ll know how difficult it can be just to get through the day – let alone make it into work.

And Selena Gomez has shown that, whether your job involves an office or a stage, mental health issues can make life difficult for anyone.

Gomez has announced that she is to take time out from her work schedule after experiencing anxiety, panic attacks and depression. In a statement to People magazine, the 24-year-old singer said that her mental health struggles were a side-effect of lupus, an autoimmune disease for which she underwent chemotherapy in 2013.

“As many of you know, around a year ago I revealed I have lupus, an illness that can affect people in different ways,” she said.

“I’ve discovered that anxiety, panic attacks and depression can be side effects of lupus, which can present their own challenges.”

Selena Gomez is taking “time off” to care for her mental health