“I just embrace mental health and therapy in such a strong way,” he tells PEOPLE exclusively
Nick Cannon is getting candid about his mental health journey.
Earlier this month, the Masked Singer host, 44, shared he had been diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder. For the star, being open about his struggles is a part of how he manages his day to day.
“I still don’t understand it all the way, but I kind of always wanted to get tested for it. I did a bunch of tests,” Cannon told PEOPLE exclusively on Wednesday, Nov. 27, while serving meals at the Los Angeles Mission’s Thanksgiving celebration.
“I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD. Even as a kid it was dyslexia, but just knowing that I’m just a neurodivergent individual, I kind of always knew,” he adds.
Now, Cannon says he’s being accepting of his recent diagnosis and using it as a tool to better himself.
“I feel like there’s so many labels out there, but it’s like, to be able to embrace it and say, ‘Look, I’m healing. I need help. Show me.’ I just embrace mental health and therapy in such a strong way,” he says. “To be able to say I’m an example for others, but also be healing during the self-process works too.”
Cannon first opened up about his diagnosis in a Nov. 8 episode of his Counsel Culture podcast. After confirming to Dr. Cheyenne Bryant, a Doctor of Psychology, that he had been “clinically diagnosed” with narcissistic personality disorder, Cannon explained he identifies with nearly all “markers” for the disorder.
“I’ve taken all the power away from the term narcissism ’cause I’ve researched it and I understand it,” said Cannon on the episode. “Call me whatever you want… now if I didn’t know what it was, then I have issue with it.”
Cannon — who’s welcomed 12 children since 2011 — also opened up to PEOPLE about how he spends time with all of his kids during the holidays.
“It’s very complicated. I’m a busy man on Thanksgiving,” he says of visiting multiple homes on the holiday. “I’m going to be full by the end of the day, but everybody specializes in certain things, you know what I mean? Some people got good sweet potato pie, some people got amazing fried turkey. So I know every house that needs to have the things that I really like.”
The star will also be “all over” in December — and hopes to spend time with his children in the snow. “Everywhere from Aspen to Santa’s Village, all of those things,” he says. “All the kids want to go to the snow. So a little bit of East Coast, a little bit of Aspen, a little bit of Big Bear.”
Source people.com
