Doja Cat has revealed that she has been living with borderline personality disorder for “probably forever.”
The singer, whose real name is Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, made the admission while defending fellow singer Chappell Roan, who went viral this week filming herself confronting a crowd who had allegedly been following her in Paris.
The discussion surrounding Roan’s reaction to paparazzi intrusion inspired the “Say So” singer to speak about how she will often “pretend to be happy” in order to keep up appearances in the public eye.
“I’ve learned from a very young age to pretend that I like stuff, to pretend that I’m happy, to pretend that I don’t like stuff that I do, to appear like everything is okay,” Dlamini said. “I’ll get it done. And it caught up with me, and I think it always does for people. I’m now struggling with BPD.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, borderline personality disorder (BPD) affects the way people feel about themselves and others, making it hard to function in everyday life. It can include a pattern of unstable, intense relationships, as well as impulsiveness and extreme emotion.
The singer continued, explaining that she has been “struggling” with the diagnosis for “probably forever,” as she called the condition “agonizing.”
“I’ve been in therapy for years now, and I am so relieved and so proud of myself,” she added. “I’ve made it so far, and I still make mistakes, but it is an eight-year process of curing, treatment and healing.”
While Dlamini acknowledged that she was not suggesting that Roan has BPD, she said she admired the way that the singer asserts her boundaries and doesn’t hide her true feelings.
“I love that she can be uncomfortable comfortably in front of people and protect herself,” Dlamini said. “I had to learn how to be honest with myself. I lied to myself for years — for most of my life — and to see her sit there, I love it.”
“I love that she can do that without hurting people,” the “Paint The Town Red” singer continued. “She hasn’t hurt one person by being herself, and that shows that I can do the same.”
Roan, whose real name is Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, has been open about the attention that comes with fame.
In 2024, around a year after she was propelled to international fame with the success of her debut album – The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess – she shared a lengthy statement stating that she would not accept “harassment of any kind” simply because she was in the spotlight.
“I chose this career path because I love music and art and honoring my inner child, I do not accept harassment of any kind because I chose this path, nor do I deserve it,” she said at the time.