Demi Lovato will only date someone mature enough to deal with her emotional complexities.

The 21-year-old singer - who has battled drug and alcohol addiction and an eating disorder in the past - will only allow herself to be in a relationship with someone who can help her manage her mental health.

Speaking to the Daily Mail newspaper's YOU magazine, she said: ''I would be slightly overwhelming for somebody who is not at a level of maturity to support me mentally.''

The former Disney star has had a couple of high-profile boyfriends - including Joe Jonas and Wilmer Valderrama - in the past and she admits it is always a struggle when a romance comes to an end, but it's even harder when the relationship ends in the spotlight.

She explained: ''The problem when you go public with a personal relationship is that when it ends, it ends publicly as well.''

Meanwhile, the 'Heart Attack' hitmaker - who takes medication for her bipolar disorder and attends regular Alcoholics Anonymous meetings - is determined to be ''a beacon of hope for the next generation.''

Demi, who has a biography 'Staying Strong', explained: ''When you are no longer hiding anything, you don't worry about what is going to get out. I don't care who knows about my life, and now that I am an open book a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.''