Bipolar UK’s response to Kanye West’s statement

This week, Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, ran an ad in The Wall Street Journal apologising for antisemitic and racist statements he made in the past while also discussing his struggles with bipolar disorder.

As a charity that supports those living with bipolar and their loved ones, we wanted to use this opportunity to clarify what bipolar is, and isn’t, in a bid to address harmful narratives around the condition that reinforce stigma regularly experienced by our community.  

Bipolar disorder is a severe mental illness (SMI) that causes extreme mood swings and changes in energy levels. It affects over one million people in the UK alone.

Bipolar mood swings are more extreme than most people’s everyday experiences of feeling a bit down or happy.

Someone with bipolar can have long or short periods of stability but can then go ‘low’ (into depression) or ‘high’ (experiencing hypomania and/or mania and psychosis).

It still takes on average 9.5 years to receive a bipolar diagnosis and has the highest suicide rate of any mental health condition.

In his statement, Ye attributes his bipolar disorder to damage he sustained to his brain’s frontal lobe during a 2002 car accident.

Although a serious head injury can increase the relative risk of developing a mental health condition, there is no evidence that it directly causes bipolar disorder. Most people who experience a brain injury will not develop bipolar, and many people with bipolar have no history of head trauma. At present, research linking head injuries to bipolar disorder is extremely limited, so any suggested connection should be treated with caution.

Ye’s statement claims his antisemitic comments were made during a bipolar episode and are because of his condition.

Some people living with bipolar:

• have unhelpful negative thoughts and ruminations (where you repeatedly think the same thoughts over and over again) during periods of depression and mania
• get symptoms of paranoia and delusions during mania which both cause extreme stress
• are more at risk of behaving in ways that can negatively affect relationships, or financial and job security
• are more likely to have a negative outlook than a positive one – this is especially likely if you also have an anxiety disorder

Finally, Ye reports that his wife encouraged him to seek help towards the end of 2025 leading him to undertake an effective regime of “medication, therapy, exercise and clean living.”

Along with getting plenty of sleep, research proves that all of these things combined can support people with bipolar to experience long periods of stability and live well with their condition.

Family and loved ones understanding bipolar and noticing the warning signs that someone is heading towards an episode is also something we strive for at Bipolar UK.

We want to empower people with the knowledge about what bipolar is and how it can be managed so they can help those closest to them stay well or seek help when they need it. Our in-person and online bipolar peer support groups are an amazing resource for anyone impacted by bipolar.

Our latest campaign, ‘Maybe it’s bipolar?’ aims to raise awareness and help people to recognise symptoms, such as periods of high energy, restlessness, difficulty sleeping, increased risk-taking and/or impulsive behaviour, followed by periods of low mood, which may be signs of bipolar.