Demi Lovato had to struggle with a lot of issues in her life, and four years ago, she dropped a big bombshell that made others view her in a different light: she admitted to the world that she's bipolar.

However, despite struggling with a mental illness, she did not let her star burn out, and instead, used her voice to raise awareness - right at the Congress' Doorstep on Capitol Hill.

The pop star told People magazine, "I went through several years of pain and suffering, and I want to be able to help people and help try to prevent that suffering from happening."

To do so, she is said to meet with legislators in behalf of the "Be Vocal: Speak Up for Mental Health" initiative in Washington DC on Tuesday, where she will give voice to her belief in the country's need for "comprehensive mental health reform," which includes better access to healthcare. However, her main mission is to destigmatize mental illness by sharing her own story.

The 23-year-old explained, "I think it's important that people no longer look at mental illness as something taboo to talk about. It's something that's extremely common, one in five adults has a mental illness, so basically everyone is essentially connected to this problem and this epidemic."

She also admitted, "The problem with mental illness is people don't look at it as a physical illness. When you think about it, the brain is actually the most complex organ in your body. We need to treat it like a physical illness and take it seriously."

From being a Barney baby to a Disney darling, Demi Lovato is now known as a champion for body positivity and an advocate for mental health, noting that the things she have gone through will help her on her way to helping others. She also spoke of her relationship with her late bipolar-schizophrenic father, and the Lovato Treatment Scholarship Program, which she put up in his honor.

Perez Hilton also noted that Lovato is encouraging her fans to make a statement to stop the stigma of mental illness. She shared, "It could be as small as a hashtag or a tweet, it could be as big as joining us at Capitol Hill. Whatever you can do to help out is what I want you to take away from this. I think it's extremely important that we continue to raise the awareness and hopefully convince Congress to take more action."

To learn more about mental health and Lovato's aim to destigmatize the issue, check out the official Be Vocal: Speak Up website.

What is your stand on the stigma that is mental illness?