The unfolding tragedy of Kanye West: In a world focused on mental health, rapper is abandoned
From calling out rappers to constantly taking digs at his estranged wife Kim Kardashian and running for the post of President in 2020, the erratic behavior of Kanye West seems to be the favorite topic of the Internet for the last few years. However, in 2022, mental health issues concerned with the rapper have got all the way more serious. What started off as memes for social media users seems to have taken a grave turn after Ye could not help but break down on different social media platforms.
Kanye West was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2017 and it is considered one of the biggest reasons why such a celebrated rap artist has found himself in a soup time and again. The Grammy-winning rapper doesn’t filter his rants and that has proven to be harmful to his near and dear ones. He then also doesn’t shy away from apologizing on social media expecting forgiveness in return. The very public split with Kim Kardashian in February 2021 seems to have taken a toll on the multi-platinum artist and unfortunately, he stands alone in his war as he watches his support structure tumbling down.
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Kanye West’s constant war with mental health issues
Most recently, Kanye West took accountability for his constant social media attacks on Kim and her new actor boyfriend Pete Davidson. Taking to Instagram, Ye in a now-deleted post penned, “I’m working on my communication. I can benefit from a team of creative professionals, organizers, mobilizers, and community leaders. Thank everybody for supporting me. I know sharing screen shots was jarring and came off as harassing Kim. I take accountability. I’m still learning in real time. I don’t have all the answers. To be good leader is to be a good listener."
Some of the basic symptoms of bipolar disorder include mood swings, sadness, elevated mood, anger, anxiety, apathy, and apprehension and if we closely observe his social media rants, the aforementioned emotions have been clearly observed while attracting attention, and concern. Kanye, in an interview with Forbes in 2019, said, “Crazy’ is a word that’s not gonna be used loosely in the future” adding, “Understand that this is actually a condition that people can end up in, be born into, driven into and go in and out. And there’s a lot of people that have been called that ‘C’ word that have ended up on this cover.”
Where is Kanye West’s support system?
Kanye West, who was reportedly hospitalized in 2016 after a concert, has openly taken shots at Kim Kardashian in the past but she is one of the first persons who might have witnessed the rapper’s battle with his bipolar disorder. In 2017, Kim shared a public statement over the same where she asked media and public for “compassion and empathy". She wrote, “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 the most.”
However, it seems the reality star eventually gave up on the rapper as they headed for a very public split in February. Kanye seems to have lose it all as he brutally attacked his supermodel wife on social media. Kim, who shares four kids with Kanye, still took everything in her stride maintaining her cool every time he dragged her on Instagram and Twitter. Apart from Kim Kardashian, no one really has come forward in the open extending their support to Kanye. As a society, people are encouraged to be open about their mental health struggles especially if they experience career stability issues or relationship problems. However, in the case of Kanye West, it appears that him opening up about his bipolar disorder has led to more troubles for him.
Kim Kardashian’s statement just posted to her Instagram stories is well worth reading. pic.twitter.com/XV9mIZvTlt
— claudia irizarry aponte (@clauirizarry) July 22, 2020
Effect of public split with Kim K on Kanye West’s mental health
Kanye West has had multiple episodes of Twitter and Instagram meltdowns in the last few years. The ‘Stronger’ hitmaker has been dubbed many things and ‘dangerous’ is only of them which the Internet labeled him recently after he dropped hints that he might end up harming ‘SNL’ actor Pete Davidson, who is now dating Kim Kardashian. Kanye might have later apologized for his actions but it shows how his public split with Kim has deeply affected his mental health. Kanye keeps sharing random posts and ends up deleting them soon, a process that has now become a routine for the hip-hop legend.
It was earlier rumored that Kanye might drop multiple disses on Kim on his 10th studio effort but fortunately, that did not happen. Kim, amidst their personal chaos, chose peace as she was spotted attending ‘Donda’s live streaming events last year. Kanye, soon after the split, was papped with ‘Uncut Gems’ star Julia Fox. He even completely changed her wardrobe making her dress like Kim. However, the whirlwind romance only lasted for six weeks as it was late reported that they were apparently in an open relationship. Kanye West created quite a stir on the Internet after he got clicked with Kim’s lookalike Chaney Jones. Nothing might be serious here too but Kanye it seems he was missing Kim in his life.
‘The reality is, the media can be culpable and truly damaging people's lives’
Kanye West ends up being the center of attention every time he pulls a stunt on social media and according to experts giving celebrities such constant attention in context of their mental health can be damaging. According to USA Today, Andrea Bonior, a clinical psychologist and author of ‘Detox Your Thoughts’ says, “The reality is, the media can be culpable and truly damaging people's lives” adding, “And when the media frames it as entertainment or a public spectacle, we make it acceptable to talk in this way about any human who is suffering."
Another expert Kali Hobson, a board-certified psychiatrist feels that celebrities are bound to get ridiculed instead of getting empathy. “When you are a celebrity, your mental health challenges are put on display to the public”, says Hobson, further stating, “You are often criticized, made fun of, chastised, and compared to others. People who don’t know you or your history are making judgments and labeling you with diagnoses." The point here is that mental health is neither to be feared nor to be something pitied about- especially in the case of Kanye West. The rapper earlier said that pushing on severely mentally ill people only makes the situation worse that reminds us we can have compassion towards people struggling with mental health issues but also their behavior cannot be excused.
