Kanye West, who goes by the name Ye, was diagnosed with bipolar type-1 disorder in 2016 after being hospitalized following the abrupt cancellation of one of his concerts. He went public with his diagnosis two years later when he dropped his album Ye, recounting his battle with mental health and including the statement “I hate being Bi-Polar, it’s awesome” on the cover art. At that time, he tweeted, “I cannot be on meds and make watch the throne level or dark fantasy level music,” referring to his previous critically acclaimed albums.
Bipolar type-1 disorder is a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings, also referred to as manic depression. For those diagnosed with type-1, it means the person has endured at least one manic episode that may come before or after hypomanic or major depressive episodes. Symptoms include being much more active, energetic, or agitated than usual; feeling a distorted sense of well-being or overly self-confident; needing much less sleep than usual; being unusually talkative and talking fast; having racing thoughts; being easily distracted; and making poor decisions.
In January 2026, West wrote an open letter published in the Wall Street Journal apologizing for his past actions and opening up about struggling with mental health. “In early 2025, I fell into a four-month long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior that destroyed my life,” West wrote. “When you are not in an episode, you are completely ‘normal’. And that’s when the wreckage from the illness hits the hardest.”
There is no cure for bipolar type-1 disorder, but the condition can be treated with medication and therapy. West credited his wife Bianca Censori for being by his side and encouraging him to seek help. “Bipolar disorder comes with its own defense system. Denial,” he wrote. “When you’re manic, you don’t think you’re sick. You think everyone else is overreacting.”
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://headtopics.com/news/what-is-bipolar-type-1-breaking-down-kanye-west-s-diagnosis-78905533