Is it normal to make a celebrity your imaginary friend?

Ever since I was a child, I've had a celebrity imaginary friend. As a very small child I was constantly tormented by my older brother and often would hide somewhere by myself. In those hiding sessions I would often feel very lonely and wish for a friend to talk to.

When I was about 8, I was spending the weekend at my best friend's house for her birthday party and one of the kids there was just relentless and kept picking on me and trying to push me around. I ended up running off and hiding in my friend's step father's tool shed. As he was always in there working, it wasn't long before he found me. He asked if I was ok. I explained what happened and he gave me a hug, turned and closed and locked the door, saying it was for my protection and he'd make sure nothing happened to me. He ended up molesting that day. After it was over, he left and I stayed in the shed, huddled under one of the workbenches crying and wishing more than ever for a friend. And that's when my first celebrity imaginary friend appeared.

Since then, I've always had one with me. And while the friend will change along with my interests and celebrity crushes, there's always one there with me wherever I go. I've had the same one for almost three years now. I've gone through a lot of traumatic experiences within the past 2 years and he has been with me through them all. Keeping me sane when I was sure I wouldn't ever be able to come back from the edge (I am SEVERELY bipolar). I know it's weird, but this has been the only thing that has kept me going for so long.

I know fantasy from reality. I know he isn't really here, that's he's just a figment of my imagination. I know it's my mind's way of comforting myself and helping me deal with all the things that have happened to me. Being bipolar I tend to lash out and I've lost friends because some of my lows have been so bad. My imaginary friend never leaves though, obviously somehow he will always understand. I guess I'm just wondering is this sort of thing normal for anyone else?