Related : Why Frankie Grande Couldn't Handle Fallout From Fame

By most standards, earning celebrity status is an enviable achievement. But stardom has a dark side, and it's more complex than we imagined.

Frankie Grande speaks to fame's subliminal drawbacks in this clip from Sunday's new E! True Hollywood Story, which discusses the dangers of existing in the public eye and raises questions about whether those who do can become addicted to the lifestyle.

"I think that fame has the power to completely destroy you mentally," warns Frankie, going so far as to say that stardom, coupled with a compulsory need to maintain it, "is powerful enough to ruin someone's life forever."

Medical experts like Dr. Drew Pinsky agree that the spotlight is addictive, arguing it has potential to spawn dependencies just as traditional substances might. How is that possible? Noting the cyclical relationship between popularity and fixation, Pinksy says the primary "correlation" between fame and addiction is trauma.