Kim Kardashian West spoke out about Kanye West’s bipolar disorder Wednesday, three days after the rapper delivered a lengthy monologue at a campaign event and after he said he has been trying to divorce her.
Kardashian West said in a statement posted in an Instagram Story that she has never spoken publicly about how West’s bipolar disorder has affected their family because she is very protective of their children and her husband’s “right to privacy when it comes to his health.”
“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.
Bipolar disorder is a mental disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, concentration and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. An effective treatment plan usually includes a combination of medication and psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy.
Kardashian West, 39, said she felt the need to comment “because of the stigma and misconception about mental health.”
“Those that understand mental illness or even compulsive behavior know that the family is powerless unless the member is a minor,” she 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.”
She said she understood West is subject to criticism because he is a public figure whose 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” bipolar disorder, she wrote.
She said those who know West, who announced July 4 that he was running for president, know his heart and understand “his words sometimes do not align with his intentions.”
She added that living with bipolar 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 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 time when they need it the most.”
Kardashian West closed her statement by asking that the media and the public give them “the compassion and empathy that is needed” so that they can get through this. She also thanked those who have expressed concern for West.
West claimed in a series of tweets Tuesday night that he has been trying to end his marriage since Kardashian West consulted with rapper Meek Mill over prison reform.