Kim Kardashian West has released a statement about the mental health of husband Kanye West, after the rapper made a series of since-deleted tweets about his family and mental health on Twitter this week. Among other things, West wrote about members of his family attempting to ‘lock him up’ and made allusions to the film Get Out. It also follows a recent rally in South Carolina for his presidential campaign, in which he made dubious claims about the US abolitionist Harriet Tubman and broke into tears while discussing abortion.
West’s actions of late have spawned a slew of commentary – and indeed, mockery – regarding the rapper’s mental health. Overnight, Kardashian asked that the media and public show her and her family “compassion and empathy”.
“As many of you know, Kanye has bi-polar disorder. Anyone who has this or has a loved one in their life who does, knows how incredibly complicated and painful it is to understand,” she wrote.
“I understand Kanye is subject to criticism because he is a public figure and his actions at times can cause strong opinions and emotions. He is a brilliant but complicated person who on top of the pressures of being an artist and a Black man, who experienced the painful loss of his mother, and has to deal with the pressure and isolation that is heightened by his bi-polar disorder,” Kardashian West added.
Kardashian West went on to say that those who are close with the rapper know that his words sometimes “do not align with his intentions”, and that the rapper’s diagnosis does not “diminish or invalidate” his creative goals, adding that “many of his big dreams have come true”.
“We as a society talk about giving grace to the issue of mental health as a whole, however we should also give it to the individuals who are living with it in times when they need it most. I kindly ask that the media and public give us the compassion and empathy that is needed so that we can get through this. Thank you for those who have expressed concern for Kanye’s well being and for your understanding.”
West has spoken publicly about his diagnosis of bipolar disorder, referencing it on the cover of 2018 album ye along with album track ‘Yikes’. He has regularly touched on his diagnosis in media over the past couple of years. In a 2018 interview with Jimmy Kimmel, West commented that it was important to have “open conversations about mental health.”
https://twitter.com/NineDaves/status/1285945372905549824
