User Comments

l_moverin October 21, 2022

While I feel great empathy for your experiences with bipolar I think you have to separate out the political ideology from the disorder.

Mania does not make him believe those things it just makes him want to express them fervently. If his underlying belief was prochoice or that climate change was an immanent problem then that is what he would be expressing fervently. 

The twisting of theses two strands belief system and mental illness is dangerous and stigmatising for all of with it. By focussing on Kanye we ignore all of the average people with this disorder who are just trying to get by. They do not need this added to the weight of stigma they already carry. We also ignore the people who have this disorder and have worked out how to also bring positive contributions to society.
I wish you well 

l_moverin October 21, 2022

Thakyou for writing this because some of the previous reporting has been pretty concerning. We are stripped of our humanity enough without being associated with homophobia, racism and antisemitism.

The beliefs that are generated in psychosis are often bizarre and are not held by the general population but are singular to the person. It could be that those beliefs will mix in with the general ones held by many corners of society. 
Kanye is not the sole representative of all people with bipolar. They are many and varied if you want to look to celebrities you could also include Stephan Fry and Carrie Fisher. 
Nobody with this disorder is a saint, we all have our difficult times but we are also more than the disorder and the disorder does not turn us into villains. I am so tired of this narrative and the consequences that come from it.