Peggy Drexler is a research psychologist and the author of "Our Fathers, Ourselves: Daughters, Fathers, and the Changing American Family" and "Raising Boys Without Men." She is at work on a book about how women are conditioned to compete with one another and what to do about it. The opinions expressed in this commentary are hers. View more opinion on CNN.

(CNN) On Monday, the 25-year-old pop star Justin Bieber — perhaps most famous for the song "Sorry" — announced he would be taking some time away from music to focus on his mental health. In a lengthy Instagram post, Bieber told his fans, "I am now very focused on repairing some of the deep rooted issues that I have as most of us have, so that I don't fall apart, so that I can sustain my marriage and be the father I want to be. Music is very important to me but nothing comes before my family and my health."

Peggy Drexler

Surprising? Perhaps not. It's hard to think of another celebrity who has come of age under such public scrutiny and has struggled so obviously to reconcile himself with the isolation of fame. Bieber's first hit came when he was just 14 years old, and since then, he's attempted — in his words, through "trial and error" — to recreate himself, over and over. His 2015 album "Purpose" came, as he admitted in a recent Vogue interview with his new wife, Hailey Baldwin, after "I started really feeling myself too much. People love me, I'm the s--- — that's honestly what I thought. I got very arrogant and cocky. I was wearing sunglasses inside." But he couldn't even complete his "Purpose" tour, because, as he said in his Instagram post, he was "emotionally unable to give" what it required.

It's impossible to overstate the effects that sensational fame can have on individuals at any age, but it presents very specific dangers to people who encounter fame as young as Bieber did. Not only are child celebrities rarely left alone to process their feelings, but without a cognizant caretaker, they're given most everything they ask for.

Adolescent boys are particularly prone to fits of ego that mask deep insecurities, and without meaningful guidance from parental figures or other mentors, they may never dig deep enough to locate the foundations of their true selves, or the importance of caring for others. If their egos are continually inflated by adoration from strangers for superficial reasons — which extends even to their talents, since our talents are not the ultimate embodiment of our worth — they will forever be walking a tightrope of public approval.

Until they lose their balance, as Bieber has finally — and rightfully — admitted that he has. In recent months he's been open about seeking treatment for depression, and his search for spiritual affirmation. He's also recently made a huge life commitment, in the form of marriage, and seems to have another, even bigger life commitment on the brain: parenthood. Bieber's awareness that growing into the person he wants to be — for himself, for his wife, for his future children — will require distance from being what the public has always known him to be, a pop star, is very promising.

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