This Lebanese Psychiatrist Is Treating Justin Bieber for Depression

In his new Youtube docuseries titled Seasons, Justin Bieber speaks in-depth about the “dark seasons” of his life in which he underwent major drug abuse, anxiety, and depression.

He also speaks of the ways he sought to recover from, seeking the Lebanese-American psychiatrist and brain disorder specialist Daniel Amen for aid.

In the fifth episode of the docuseries, Dr. Daniel Amen addresses Justin’s addiction and mental health, speaking of the first time he was introduced to the celebrity giant.

“When I first met Justin in September 2014,  he was a wreck. He had recently stopped taking drugs, he was anxious, overwhelmed, and not sleeping.”

Dr. Amen continues speaking about Justin’s mental health deterioration; “He [Justin] saw a psychiatrist in Los Angeles who diagnosed him with bipolar disorder and gave him Lithium without ever looking at his brain!”

Dr. Amen confirmed that, upon looking at Justin’s brain, Justin does not have Bipolar but rather Lyme disease and Epstein-Barr (also known as mono). Each of these diseases causes extreme fatigue, mood swings, anxiety, and depression, all of which the Canadian musician suffered from.

“Having got to know Justin, I know he has a really good heart,” Dr. Amen explains. “When he’s balanced he does really amazing things for other people but it’s hard to do amazing things for other people when your brain’s not right.” 

Justin has been spotted by paparazzi heading to the Amen clinics center for brain treatment more than once, latest visit spotted on camera was in March 2019 in Costa Mesa, California.

In an Instagram post, Dr. Amen also spoke of Justin’s psychological state: “In the new Youtube Docuseries, Justin reveals he started smoking marijuana when he was just 13. Then he moved on to harder substances, including a mind-numbing cocktail of cough syrup (hydrocodone) mixed with alcohol and prescription medication.”

“The concoction was so potent, his security team would creep into his room in the middle of the night to check his pulse and make sure he was still breathing,” Dr. Amen revealed.

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Check out our new blog! The adolescent brain is a remarkable work in progress, with billions of connections called synapses being created at lightning-fast speeds, and an important process called myelinization underway. With myelinization, brain cells are coated with a protective sheath that increases the brain’s processing speeds. The process begins at the back of the brain and works its way forward, with the prefrontal cortex (the area involved in impulse control, forethought, judgment, and empathy) the last area to gain the protective covering, usually around a person’s mid-20s. Certain things like alcohol, drugs, and even fame can disrupt this important process. A brain imaging study appearing in the Journal of Psychiatric Research showed that heavy marijuana use among young adults and adolescents may affect normal brain development. The study found brain abnormalities in areas involved with decision-making, memory, and executive functions—the regions in the front of the brain that are the last to undergo myelinization. Substance use and fame at a young age can also disrupt the reward system in the adolescent brain. In a healthy brain, whenever we do something enjoyable, it’s like pressing a button in the brain to release a little bit of the neurotransmitter dopamine to make us feel pleasure. Pushing these pleasure buttons too often or too strong reduces dopamine’s effectiveness. Eventually, it takes more and more excitement and stimulation to feel anything at all. In the YouTube docuseries, Justin reveals he started smoking marijuana when he was just 13. Then he moved on to harder substances, including a mind-numbing cocktail of cough syrup (hydrocodone) mixed with alcohol and prescription medication. The concoction was so potent, his security team would creep into his room in the middle of the night to check his pulse and make sure he was still breathing. With the substance abuse and all those screaming fans, Justin’s reward system was getting worn out. He was addicted not only to the drugs but also to fame. And he was in a downward spiral.

A post shared by Daniel G. Amen, M.D. (@doc_amen) on

“With the substance abuse and all those screaming fans, Justin’s reward system was getting worn out. He was addicted not only to the drugs but also to fame. And he was in a downward spiral,” he explained.

Dr. Daniel Amen, 64 years, was born and raised in California to Lebanese immigrant parents. He is a celebrity doctor practicing as a psychiatrist and brain disorder specialist in Amen clinics, a medical center that he directs.

Talking about his Lebanese immigrant father, Dr. Amen says that his father worked his way up from owning nothing to the chairman of the Board of Unified Grocers.

“He flourished his whole life, owning a very successful chain of grocery wholesale company in the world,” Dr. Amen reveals in his book “Change Your Brain, Change Your Body: Use Your Brain to Get and Keep the Body.”

Dr. Amen is also the author of 30 books with combined sales of about one million copies, having 10 times New York Times Bestsellers. He won the 2019 John C. Maxwell award and is known to be America’s most popular psychiatrist.

You can watch a preview of Dr. Amen’s feature and diagnosis in Justin’s docuseries here: