Kanye West having bipolar episode, claims Kardashian
‘Those who are close with Kanye understand his words sometimes do not align with his intentions’
KIM KARDASHIAN-WEST, the reality television star, yesterday appealed for “compassion” for her husband Kanye West, the rapper, who is running for president, as she says he is suffering from a bipolar episode.
West has made a number of troubling social media posts since announcing his plan to run for president in the November election, prompting fears for his mental health.
He held a rally in South Carolina at the weekend under his self-styled Birthday Party banner and wept as he talked about the shame he felt over wanting to abort his eldest child. Since the appearance, he has posted rambling remarks on subjects ranging from politics to his marriage.
“As many of you know, Kanye has bipolar disorder,” Kardashian-west wrote on her Instagram page.
West, 43, known as “Ye” to his fans, announced he had the illness in 2018 and received psychiatric treatment in hospital in 2016.
Bipolar disorder is a form of mental illness characterised by mood swings between extreme energy and activity and depression, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
The Grammy award-winning artist claimed on Twitter he was trying to divorce his wife, 39, who was trying to have him committed to an institution.
“Those that understand mental illness or even compulsive behaviour know that the family is powerless unless the member is a minor,” said Kardashian-west. “I kindly ask that the media and public give us the compassion and empathy that is needed so that we can get through this.”
She said her husband, with whom she has four children, was “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, has to deal with the pressure and isolation that is heightened by his bi-polar disorder”.
She added: “Those who are close with Kanye know his heart and understand his words sometimes do not align with his intentions.”