Kanye West, now legally known as Ye, has been making headlines for the past few weeks because of how he’s reacted to his pending divorce from Kim Kardashian, as well as her new relationship with Pete Davidson. The celebrity hasn’t been taking the news well, which begs the question, does he suffer from a mental disorder, or does he just have a large ego? Let’s delve into that question and address how mental health can affect the decisions people make every single day.
What’s Going on with Kanye West?
If you’ve been paying attention to the current news cycle, Ye has been the subject of many different articles and headlines from a variety of different sources all covering the topic. Because of his pending divorce from Kim Kardashian, he’s decided to “win her back” with his own practices and ideas. However, these practices have come off creepy and “stalker-ish” instead of romantic in the eyes of viewers, and even Kim herself.
The popular rapper has since purchased a house across the street from Kim, send her dozens of roses, and even attacked her new boyfriend on social media. Not exactly the best strategy. It’s important to remember that when someone asks for space or distance, you have to respect that, and shouldn’t try to “win them back” when they’ve told you they’re no longer interested.
In this case, this is an issue of Ye refusing to accept Kim’s boundaries and causing her further pain and anguish by having to deal with his stalker-like behavior and inability to let go. Kim is happy in her new relationship with Pete Davidson and has asked rapper Ye to back off on multiple occasions. Unfortunately, he just refuses to do so.
While many might see him as “crazy”, we should delve in further and look at what could potentially be causing these behaviors, and the inability to let go. These behaviors often stem from mental disorders, phobias, or previously experienced trauma.
Does Kanye West Suffer from a Mental Disorder?
From what we know of Ye, we’re aware that he suffers from bipolar disorder, which can greatly affect one’s relationships, especially if they’re not being treated for their disorder. Bipolar disorder affects everyone differently, and there are a few different types of this disorder. It’s unclear exactly which type of bipolar disorder Ye struggles with, but this could be a factor in why he’s unable to detach easily from Kim and his past life with her.
For many people with bipolar disorder, it causes cycles of depressive and manic episodes (although there is a lot of variabilities, for example, some people experience fewer depressive episodes or fewer manic episodes). For some, these cycles can occur multiple times a year and for others, they only occur once or twice.
Untreated bipolar disorder can greatly affect one’s life, causing people to be more depressed or uninterested during depressive episodes and on top of the world during manic episodes. However, these types of symptoms don’t seem to relate to the way that Ye is acting toward Kim.
During depressive episodes, people with bipolar disorder may feel worthless or experience excessive guilt, which may be why Ye feels the need to go out of his way to get Kim’s approval. On the flip side, manic episodes often cause poor-decision making and impulsivity. From watching Ye’s actions, they definitely don’t seem very well thought out and could be a side effect of a manic episode.
It’s also possible that Ye is experiencing other mental disorders that we don’t know about. Having issues detaching easily from relationships or feeling betrayed when someone moves on can be a symptom of PTSD from previous relationships. For example, if Ye has been betrayed or left behind in the past, he may be experiencing PTSD that makes him believe he shouldn’t let go of Kim.
However, while many of these are reasons why he may be acting the way that he is, they’re not excuses. Mental disorders are extremely difficult, but they should never be used as an excuse to treat people with disrespect, but more on that later.
Understanding How Mental Disorders Can Affect Everyday Life
No matter what mental disorder a person suffers from, it’s easy to let these disorders affect their everyday life. Depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, bipolar disorder, and more can all affect the choices we make every single day.
For example, people with depression and anxiety might be more likely to stay home rather than go out, and people with PTSD might shy away from experiences that they think might cause further damage. If you suffer from a mental illness, it’s important to remember that seeking treatment is the best way to keep your disorder from affecting your life as heavily.
How to be a Good Person While Suffering from a Mental Disorder
When talking about Ye, and whether or not his actions are a result of a mental disorder or ego, the answer is tricky. While he likely feels that he’s making the best decisions for his life because of his mental illness, it’s his ego that’s keeping him from getting the treatment that he needs to get him on the right path. On top of that, his ego likely plays a bigger role in the decision-making process, because so many people follow his daily activities and decisions.
Ego often stops people from getting treatment, which is ultimately the best way to lessen the effects of mental illness. You can be a good person with a mental disorder, you just have to learn other skills, like proper communication, decision making, and more. Putting yourself first by seeking treatment and being honest about your diagnosis with your loved one can also help to make the process easier.
Seek Treatment for Your Mental Disorder
If you’re like Kanye West, and you’re starting to notice that your decisions are impacting your loved ones, or you’re worried you’re constantly making the wrong decisions, you could be suffering from a mental disorder. To learn more about how we diagnose and treat our patients, call Asheville Recovery Center today.
