People are grateful Mariah Carey is opening up about her experience with bipolar disorder

Now more than ever, celebrities have been opening up about their experiences with mental health issues — and Mariah Carey now joins the ranks of the stars who hope to shatter stigma surrounding various disorders.

The singer, who is typically very private, got incredibly candid with People in a new interview, revealing for the first time in her storied career that 17 years ago she was diagnosed with bipolar II disorder, which is marked by bouts of depression and mania, as well as sleeplessness and irritability.

"Until recently I lived in denial and isolation and in constant fear someone would expose me," she told People's editor-in-chief Jess Cagle. "It was too heavy a burden to carry and I simply couldn’t do that anymore. I sought and received treatment, I put positive people around me and I got back to doing what I love — writing songs and making music."

Carey says she is regularly going to therapy and taking medication that strikes a "proper balance" for her and doesn't leave her too tired or sluggish.

"I’m just in a really good place right now, where I’m comfortable discussing my struggles with bipolar II disorder," she explained. "I’m hopeful we can get to a place where the stigma is lifted from people going through anything alone. It can be incredibly isolating. It does not have to define you and I refuse to allow it to define me or control me."

People are already lauding Carey on social media for speaking up, telling her story, and in the process, making the world a little less isolating for those who are bipolar.

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The full cover story with Carey in People will be available on Friday.