Demi Lovato Led an Inspired Conversation at This Year’s Dinner for The Center for Youth Mental Health

Last night at the Crosby Hotel in SoHo, guests gathered in support of The Center for Youth Mental Health for a dinner and a poignant conversation led by Demi Lovato and Dr. Charlie Shaffer. The actor, singer, and former child star got candid with attendees, discussing her journey to recovery, having overcome bullying, an eating disorder, and addiction, all while discovering how to manage her bipolar diagnosis.

“When I think about the purpose behind speaking out, I think about that 13-year-old [version of myself] who didn't have anybody in the public eye of my generation to show me, 'this person struggles with depression, but they're okay,'” Lovato told Vogue. "There was no light at the end of the tunnel for me in the public eye and so I remember my younger self, when I'm thinking about what gives me purpose, and it holds me accountable. That gives me the drive to wake up every single day and be grateful, but also work on myself."

Co-hosted by Dr. Steven J. Corwin, Dr. Zandy Forbes, Tory Burch, and Anna Wintour, the night was a testament to the strides made by the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital's Center for Youth Mental Health (Formerly known as the Youth Anxiety Center). Established 13 years ago, the center runs a clinical and research program dedicated to tackling the epidemic of anxiety and depression in adolescents and young adults.

“Something that I've said in the past is, you're not a car that is broken and goes into the shop and gets fixed. [Recovery] is a lifelong condition that I have to live with and that I've learned to live with in the most graceful way possible,” Lovato told Vogue, as her mother, Dianna De La Garza, proudly looked on from the audience.

The event drew supporters of the Center, including many friends of Vogue, such as Jordan Roth, Richie Jackson, Ivy Getty, Lousia Jacobson, Juliana Canfield, and rising Broadway star Nichelle Lewis. The fashion industry was well-represented, too, with designers like Prabal Gurung, Wes Gordon, Emily Bode, Jonathan Cohen, Mike Eckhaus, and Theophilio's Edvin Thompson, as well as the Proenza Schouler duo Jack McCollough and Lazaro, joining in a standing ovation in solidarity with Lovato. Also present were the Center's young patrons: Michael Braun, Ayesha Shand, Jessica Nichols, Azzi Agnelli, Alexander Hankin, Paul Henkel, and David Smalling.

Following the conversation, guests sat down for a family-style dinner. Inside the Crosby Hotel's elegant private dining rooms, mental health thought leaders, familiar fashion industry faces, and creatives sat amongst the bustling crowd. Most notably in attendance were the doctors leading the noble work at the center each day: Dr. Anne Marie Albano, Dr. Shannon Bennett, Dr. Rebecca Rendleman, Dr. Francis Lee, Dr. Warren Ng, Dr. H. Blair Simpson, and Dr. Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele. As the last petit four was placed on each table for dessert, party-goers lingered to mingle with one another, connecting with doctors on how they could get more involved.

“I am an open book. I'm as honest as I possibly can be with people, because I know that it not only serves myself, but it in a way that it feels like I'm giving back. Sharing my story also serves the person that's listening—and that person might be a 13-year-old in the room struggling with an eating disorder and a substance abuse problem,” Lovato told Vogue.