When Kanye West speaks up, we listen. When he falls down, we sit up and take notice. While the last week has been a troubling experience for Yeezy, it might actually be a good thing for the millions of people out there struggling with the same internal demons West is likely facing right now.
His latest antics—which included a public meltdown and the cancellation of his concert tour and resulted in a brief hospitalization last week—is a sobering reminder that not only is mental illness no joke, it doesn’t discriminate.
While the mainstream media struggles to come to terms with how to frame the story of a clearly troubled man caught in the limelight, GOOD seeks a more empathetic framework for understanding West and his strange behavior. How can we better understand West in the context of his role as a husband and father, and as a guy we might not know as well as we think?
The friends who have known West through thick and thin seem to be on the same page. After news spread about West’s tour cancellation and his hospitalization, the hip-hop artist’s friends and collaborators sent messages of support on Twitter:
“He’s obviously going thru a tough time,” wrote Terrence Henderson, the rap executive known as Punch. “Maybe things u don’t know about. When it hit the fan are you still a fan?”
“Been knowing the brother upwards of 13 years. Mental healing is a serious thing, no matter what. Stay strong Kanye West,” producer and record executive 9th Wonder added.
But to get to a place of healing, we must first dig in and find out what’s motivating West and his strange behavior. What’s the likely diagnosis and prognosis for someone exhibiting these types of symptoms and behaviors? Two experts in mental health weigh in.
Is West likely suffering from a mental illness?
According to mental health expert and coach Julie A. Fast, who has not treated West, the answer is yes. In trying to understand West’s behavior, Fast points out four main psychiatric disorder categories that health care professionals use to diagnose people who show specific symptoms: mood disorders (depression and bipolar disorder); psychotic disorders (schizophrenia and other thought disorders involving psychosis); anxiety disorders (generalized anxiety, social anxiety, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder); and personality disorders (borderline, narcissism, sociopathic, psychopathic, histrionic, hypochondriac).
“What he shows is far more about bipolar mania than narcissism,” said Fast. “His current behaviors have little to do with personality disorders in my opinion. He is having symptoms of bipolar disorder.”
She said that West’s baseline is that of a creative artist, a respected person who gets a lot of work done, who cares a great deal for his wife and kids, and who was very close to his late mother. “But I would say his ego is very fragile and he deals with a lot of sadness and worry about life, like all of us.”
Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder which is episodic, said Fast, meaning that a person can swing from mania to depression easily. “This means the symptoms come and go and the person’s true baseline personality comes back,” she said. “I always say that bipolar disorder is a cloak that covers us when we are sick and goes away when we are well.”
West will likely continue to go through phases, said Fast. He will be quite stable—able to pull off large projects without a problem and keep himself out of the news—then will likely suddenly go off the rails again doing something outrageous and controversial. It’s critical that someone suffering from symptoms like those West has been exhibiting seek treatment, she said. “Something has to be done to stop this roller coaster, or it will get worse.”
Is he more likely to suffer because he’s a famous artist?
Is there validity to the cliché of the "mad" or "tortured" artist? Yes, said Dr. Rachel Kitson, a practicing psychologist based in Charlotte, North Carolina, who has studied West’s behavior and his similarities to Donald Trump, but who has not treated the star directly.
“If we think about the type of brain that sees the world in a unique way and is able to construct art and contemplate beauty and meaning in ways the rest of us cannot, it suggests a different type of neuronal wiring in the brain,” she said. “That intensity, sensitivity, and drive to create might make the world both a more beautiful and painful place.”
Still, she said, the numbers don't suggest that artists are necessarily more likely to struggle with mental illness in particular. “We know lots of artists have struggled with mental health issues, or can speculate some have potentially used art as a way to cope and function quite adaptively,” Kitson added.
But whether you’re a superstar or super broke, it’s all the same in the darkness of the night. “Bipolar disorder doesn’t care if you’re Joe Smith or Kanye West,” said Fast. “It treats everyone the same. People with these three disorders act the same all over the world, no matter what race, age, or income they may have.”
And while Kitson feels she can rule out chronic thought disorders or schizophrenia based on West’s high level of functioning, she said she doesn’t have enough information to attribute his actions to mental illness or psychosis. “I think Kanye has fallen peril to the fame monster,” she said. “We've seen a lot of celebrities struggle under the intense glare of the limelight, which sometimes highlights any ‘cracks’ in the psyche.”
She added that West’s 2014 marriage to Kim Kardashian only added to the level of attention West received, and perhaps exacerbated the stress associated with it. “When people have a predisposition towards mental illness and are put under extreme stress, it tends to exacerbate symptoms,” said Kitson.
What does this all mean for Kim and the children?
Dr. Kitson said that West’s better half, wife Kim Kardashian West likely serves as the yin to his yang. “She seems pretty calm-headed and serene; he seems passionate and bombastic. They both have seemingly carved out names for themselves in the likeness of their own design,” she said. Kitson added that even if West embodies the suffering artist motif, it doesn’t make it any less difficult to see the husband and father of your young children suffer.
“Right now, Kim is simply a wife who is very, very scared,” added Fast. “When someone you love, who is the father of your children, gets out of control like this, it’s nothing like having someone get sick physically.”
She said it’s only possible to talk to “the illness,” and not the person.
Fast also noted that Kardashian West’s recent harrowing robbery experience was likely “way too big a trigger for him to handle,” and could have been a key factor in what she calls his recent manic episode.
Kardashian West (and partners coping with similar situations) will play an important role in West’s ongoing recovery, according to Fast. Working with doctors and therapists, West needs to first learn the symptoms of mania, depression, anxiety, and psychosis, write them down, and come up with a plan to help her partner stay stable.
But as shocking and scary as the ups and downs of mental illness can be, there is hope, especially if there can be greater understanding.
“Could the media and audience be more kind, sensitive, and supportive? Certainly,” said Dr. Kitson. “The bigger question is how will Kanye learn from this experience and curb his behavior to take care of himself and be a good father to his children.”
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Why do some folks use social media but don't engage?
Psychologist says people who never comment on social media share these 5 positive traits
For over 20 years, social media has developed into a staple in many people’s day-to-day lives. Whether it’s to keep in communication with friends and family, following the thoughts of celebrities, or watching cat videos while sipping your morning coffee, there seem to be two types of social media users: commenters and lurkers.
The term “lurker” sounds equally mysterious and insidious, with some social media users writing them off as non-participants at best or voyeurs at worst. However, mindfulness expert Lachlan Brown believes these non-commenters have some very psychologically positive and healthy traits. Let’s take a look at how each one of these traits could be beneficial and see how fruitful lurking might be even though it can drive content creators crazy.
1. Cautious about vulnerability
Consciously or not, making a post online or commenting on one puts you and your words out there. It’s a statement that everyone can see, even if it’s as simple as clicking “like.” Doing so opens yourself up to judgment, with all the good, bad, and potential misinterpretation that comes with it. Non-commenters would rather not open themselves up to that.
These silent users are connected to a concept of self-protection by simply not engaging. By just scrolling past posts or just reading/watching them without commentary, they’re preventing themselves from any downsides of sharing an opinion such as rejection, misunderstanding, or embarrassment. They also have more control on how much of themselves they’re willing to reveal to the general public, and tend to be more open face-to-face or during one-on-one/one-on-few private chats or DMs. This can be seen as a healthy boundary and prevents unnecessary exposure.
Considering many comment sections, especially involving political topics, are meant to stir negative emotional responses to increase engagement, being extra mindful about where, when, and what you comment might not be a bad idea. They might not even take the engagement bait at all. Or if they see a friend of theirs post something vulnerable, they feel more motivated to engage with them personally one-on-one rather than use social media to publicly check in on them.
2. Analytical and reflective mindset
How many times have you gone onto Reddit, YouTube, or any other site and just skimmed past comments that are just different versions of “yes, and,” “no, but,” or “yes, but”? Or the ever insightful, formerly popular comment “First!” in a thread? These silent browsers lean against adding to such noise unless they have some valid and thoughtful contribution (if they bother to comment period).
These non-posters are likely wired on reflective thinking rather than their initial intuition. Not to say that all those who comment aren’t thoughtful, but many tend to react quickly and comment based on their initial feelings rather than absorbing the information, thinking it over, researching or testing their belief, and then posting it. For "lurkers," it could by their very nature to just do all of that and not post it at all, or share their thoughts and findings privately with a friend. All in all, it’s a preference of substance over speed.
3. High sense of self-awareness
Carried over from the first two listed traits, these silent social media users incorporate their concern over their vulnerability and their reflective mindset into digital self-awareness. They know what triggers responses out of them and what causes them to engage in impulsive behavior. It could be that they have engaged with a troll in the past and felt foolish. Or that they just felt sad after a post or got into an unnecessary argument that impacted them offline. By knowing themselves and seeing what’s being discussed, they choose to weigh their words carefully or just not participate at all. It’s a form of self-preservation through restraint.
4. Prefer to observe rather than perform
Some folks treat social media as information, entertainment, or a mix of both, and commenting can feel like they’re yelling at the TV, clapping alone in a movie theater when the credits roll, or yelling “That’s not true!” to a news anchor that will never hear them. But contrary to that, social media is a place where those yells, claps, and accusations can be seen and get a response. By its design, social media is considered by experts and the media as performative, regardless of whether it is positive or negative. Taking all of the previously mentioned traits into account, one can see why they would prefer to “observe the play” rather than get up on the stage of Facebook or X.
On top of that, these non-commenters could be using social media differently than those who choose to fully engage with it. Using this type of navigation, there may be nothing for them to comment about. Some commenters are even vying for this for their mental health. There are articles about how to better curate your social media feeds and manipulate algorithms to create a better social media experience to avoid unnecessary conflict or mentally tiring debate.
If you go on a blocking spree on all of your accounts and just follow the posters that boost you, it could turn your social media into a nice part of your routine as you mainly engage with others face-to-face or privately. In terms of commenting, if your curated Instagram is just following cute dogs and all you have to offer for a comment is “cute dog,” you might just enjoy the picture and then move on with your day rather than join in the noise. These non-commenters aren’t in the show and they’re fine with it.
5. Less motivated by social validation
The last trait that Brown showcases is that social media users who browse without posting tend to be independent from external validation, at least online. Social media is built to grow through feedback loops such as awarding likes, shares, and reposts of your content along with notifications letting you know that a new person follows you or wants to connect. This can lead many people to connect their activity on social media with their sense of self worth, especially with adolescents who are still figuring out their place in the world and have still-developing brains.
Engaging in social media via likes, shares, comments, and posts rewards our brains by having them release dopamine, which makes us feel good and can easily become addictive. For whatever reason, non-commenters don’t rely on social media as a means to gauge their social capital or self worth. This doesn’t make them better than those who do. While some non-commenters could have healthier ways to boost their self worth or release dopamine into their systems, many get that validation from equally unhealthy sources offline. That said, many non-commenters’ silence could be a display of independence and self confidence.
Whether you frequently comment online or don’t, it’s good to understand why you do or don’t. Analyzing your habits can help you determine whether your online engagement is healthy, or needs to be tweaked. With that information, you can then create a healthy social media experience that works for you.