Kim Kardashian West addressed her husband Kanye West’s struggles with bipolar disorder and asked that “the media and public give us the compassion and empathy that is needed so that we can get through this.”
Kardashian West posted the statement to her Instagram stories Wednesday morning. It followed several days of unpredictable tweeting from West, including several since-deleted tweets in which he said he’d been trying to divorce Kardashian West since she met with Meek Mill to discuss prison reform, and another in which he referred to his mother-in-law, Kris Jenner, as “Kris Jong-Un.”
Kardashian West did not refer to any of those comments, although her statement did seem to allude to Kanye’s (also deleted) claim that the Kardashian family was trying to “51/50 me.” A “5150” refers to a California code regarding the detention of people with mental health disorders that are posing a danger to themselves or others.
From Kim on Instagram. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/08p4AO2hsI
— TeamKanyeDaily (@TeamKanyeDaily) July 22, 2020
“Those that understand mental illness or even compulsive behavior know that the family is powerless unless the member is a minor,” Kardashian West wrote. “People who are unaware or far removed from this experience can be judgmental and not understand that the individual themselves have to engage in the process of getting help no matter how hard family and friends try.”
Elsewhere in her statement, Kardashian West spoke about her previous reticence to address West’s mental health, both out of a desire to protect their children and the musician’s own right to privacy. She said she felt it was necessary to speak out now “because of the stigma and misconceptions about mental health.”
She went on to say: “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 — has to deal with the pressure and isolation that is heightened by his bi-polar disorder… Living with bi-polar disorder does not diminish or invalidate his dreams and his creative ideas, no matter how big or unobtainable they may feel to some. That is part of his genius and as we have all witnessed, many of his big dreams have come true.”
Kardashian West closed by saying: “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… Thank you for those who have expressed concern for Kanye’s wellbeing and for your understanding.”
