Demi Lovato shocked fans Monday night by announcing that she has dropped out of the Jonas Brothers tour and checked into a treatment center for "emotional and physical issues."
The nature of Lovato's problems weren't disclosed, but numerous websites – including TMZ – state that the singer, 18, recently was in a physical altercation with a female member of her tour and that served a "catalyst" in her decision to seek help.
Lovato's road to fame hasn't been easy.
In the seventh grade, she was bullied to such a degree that she had to be home-schooled, she told Ellen DeGeneres in 2008. "Sometimes [bullying] doesn't just end in high school," she wrote on her Celebrity MySpace page that year. "Sometimes I get online and read blogs (which I probably shouldn't if I can't handle it) and read the horrible things that people say in comments … and it can really take a toll on you."
The same year, Lovato showed red marks on her wrists at Miley Cyrus' 16th birthday bash, fueling rumors that she cuts herself. (At the time, her rep said that tight "gummy bracelets" had left "indentations" on her wrist.)
Citing a person familiar with the situation, the Associated Press reports that the Disney star — who split from tour partner Joe Jonas earlier this year — indeed had self-mutilation issues.
She also showed signs of having an eating disorder, reports the AP.
"She needed help before a smaller problem got worse," an insider tells Us. "She is doing OK."
Adds the source, "She has been forced into showbiz from a young age and that puts tremendous pressure on someone … everyone is really happy she is getting help."
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