NEWSMAKERS

NEWSMAKERS

In new campaign, Demi Lovato is face of mental health

LOS ANGELES

When Demi Lovato was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, she was actually relieved.

“Growing up, I felt very, very depressed,” she said. “Even though I was playing concerts and living out my dream, I couldn’t tell you why I was upset.”

After a family intervention, she sought treatment and learned she has a mental illness.

“I remember smiling and thinking, ‘Great, OK, so there’s not anything wrong with me as a person,’” she said in a recent interview. “It’s actually just a condition that I have and I can do something to fix it. I don’t have to be like this forever.”

Lovato is sharing her story and encouraging others to do the same through Be Vocal: Speak Up For Mental Health, an initiative launched Thursday by a pharmaceutical company, the National Alliance on Mental Illness and other mental-health advocacy groups. Its aim is to improve treatment options at all levels and erase the stigma around mental illnesses.

Diamond trial ends day

PORT WASHINGTON, Wis.

Testimony has wrapped up for the day in the trial of television actor Dustin Diamond, who is accused of stabbing a man during a bar fight in Wisconsin after a woman punched his girlfriend.

The 38-year-old Diamond, who played Screech in the 1990s show “Saved by the Bell,” has pleaded not guilty to recklessly endangering public safety. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison.

Judge closes book on last Lohan criminal case

LOS ANGELES

For the first time in nearly eight years, Lindsay Lohan is not on probation.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mark Young on Thursday ended Lohan’s probation in a reckless-driving case, closing the last of a series of LA criminal cases that have dogged the actress for years.

Judge Young said he reviewed community service logs and determined Lohan, 28, completed her sentence. He praised Lohan’s attorney, Shawn Holley, telling her she did an excellent job getting the actress to complete the hours in recent weeks.

Unlike many previous proceedings in her criminal cases, Lohan was not present for the hearing. In a statement posted on Twitter, Lohan thanked Holley and the two New York groups where she did her recent flurry of service hours.

Associated Press