Kanye West has been candid about his battle with mental health over the years.
In 2016, West, who also goes by the name Ye, was hospitalized after abruptly canceling a concert. Two years later, West revealed that he was diagnosed bipolar disorder type 1 when he dropped his album yes.
“I Hate Being Bi-Polar, It’s Awesome,” read the 2018 album cover.
After going public with his diagnosis, West began making headlines for a series of controversial political opinions and, later, a series of anti-Semitic and anti-LGBTQ+ statements. In January 2026, after refusing to back down from his claims despite losing multiple high-profile deals, including a partnership with Adidas and releasing a song titled “Heil Hitler,” West he publicly apologized for his statements, saying he was suffering from a “four-month manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior” when he made those statements.
“Things got worse the longer I ignored the problem. I said and did things I deeply regret. Some of the people I love the most, I treated them worse,” he wrote in an open letter published by the Wall Street Journal. “You endured the fear, confusion, humiliation, and exhaustion of trying to have someone who was, at times, unrecognizable. Looking back, I detached myself from my true self.”
Keep scrolling for what West has had to say about his mental health struggles over the years:
Being bipolar is a ‘superpower’
Shortly after going public with his diagnosis, Kanye West opened up about how it felt to be diagnosed with “mental issues” later in life.
“I’m so blessed and so privileged because (I) think of people who have mental issues who aren’t Kanye West, who can’t go do this (music) and make you feel like everything’s okay,” West said in a June 2018 interview with time. “I had never been diagnosed (as bipolar) and I was like 39 years old… That’s why I said on the album, ‘It’s not a disability, it’s a superpower.
Addressing stigma
Kanye West got candid about the stigma patients battling bipolar disorder face.
“It’s a health issue that has a strong stigma and people can say anything about it and discriminate in any way,” she said during a 2019 interview with David Letterman in his Netflix series My guest needs no introduction. “That’s like a sprained brain, like having a sprained ankle. And if someone has a sprained ankle, you’re not going to push them harder. With us, once our brain gets to a sprained point, people do everything to make it worse.”
Combat paranoia
While chatting with David Letterman, Kanye West reflected on his time enduring paranoia amid his condition.
“When you’re in that state, you’re hyper-paranoid about everything,” he told the talk show host. “Everybody, that’s my experience, other people have different experiences, everybody’s an actor now. It’s all a conspiracy. You feel like the government is putting chips in your head. You feel like it’s recording you. You feel all these things.”
West added that when he was in that mood it was hard to “trust anybody.”
Not to be taken seriously
Kanye West addressed online trolls who claimed he did not suffer from bipolar disorder.
“There’s a lot of people who will say, ‘I don’t think you’re bipolar,'” the rapper said during a November 2021 episode of the “Drink Champs” podcast. “And every time someone wants to say I’m wrong about something, hiding the truth (or) lying, they’re like, ‘You’re crazy.’ It’s just the ultimate final cut so you don’t have to listen.”
West added that being called “crazy” wouldn’t stop him from speaking out.
“You will not diminish what I am doing and what God is doing with me in the future by trying to cut off my legs or cut off my influence by calling me crazy,” he said. “This doesn’t work.”
Being diagnosed with autism
Kanye West revealed in February 2025 that he was diagnosed with a form of autism.
“I went to this doctor … My wife took me to it because she said, ‘Something about your personality doesn’t seem like bipolar, I’ve seen that before.’ And I found out that it’s actually a case of autism that I have,” West said during an appearance on “The Download” podcast.
Experiencing ‘manic’ episodes
Kanye West opened up about enduring a manic episode in 2025.
“When you go into a manic episode, you’re sick at that point,” he wrote in a January 2026 letter shared via the WSJ. “When you’re not in an episode, you’re completely ‘normal’. And that’s when the remnants of the disease hit the hardest.”
West added that he struggled with being in “denial.”
“Bipolar disorder comes with its own defense system. Denial. When you’re manic, you don’t think you’re sick. You think everyone else is overreacting,” he continued. “You feel like you’re seeing the world more clearly than ever, when in reality you’re losing control completely.”
Take responsibility for your actions
Kanye West opened up about how his struggles with bipolar disorder led him to say and do things he later regretted.
“Things got worse the longer I ignored the problem. I said and did things I deeply regret. Some of the people I love the most, I treated them worse,” he wrote in the WSJ letter. “You endured the fear, confusion, humiliation, and exhaustion of trying to have someone who was, at times, unrecognizable. Looking back, I detached myself from my true self.”
West added that he “completely lost sight” of who he was while experiencing a manic episode. She shared that she was making progress with “medication, therapy, exercise and clean living.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.