Kim Kardashian West is speaking out about husband Kanye West's bipolar disorder after he issued a series of now-deleted tweets on Monday night that included one saying she was trying to have him hospitalized.
Kardashian West issued a long message on her Instagram stories on Wednesday.
"As many of you know, Kanye has bi-polar disorder," she wrote. "Anyone who has this or a loved one in their life who does, knows how incredibly complicated and painful it is to understand.
"I've never spoken publicly about how this has affected us at home because I am very protective of our children and Kanye's right to privacy when it comes to his health. But today, I feel like I should comment on it because of the stigma and misconceptions about mental health."
In addition to a series of now-deleted tweets, West, who announced earlier this month that he is running for president, also gave a rambling speech during a campaign rally in Charleston, South Carolina, on Sunday in which he broke down crying when saying that he and Kardashian nearly terminated their first pregnancy.
His wife appeared to address his claim that she was trying to have him hospitalized.
"Kim tried to bring a doctor to lock me up with a doctor," he tweeted Monday before deleting it.
"Those that understand mental illness or even compulsive behavior know that the family is powerless unless the member is a minor," Kardashian West wrote. "People who are unaware or far removed from this experience can be judgmental and not understand that the individual themselves have to engage in the process of getting help no matter how hard family and friends try."
West's deleted tweets also included claims that the movie "Get Out" was based on him and a request for his mother-in-law, Kris Jenner, to give him a call.
"I understand Kanye is subject to criticism because he is a public figure and his actions at times can cause strong opinions and emotions," Kardashian West wrote. "He is a brilliant but complicated person who on top of the pressures of being an artist and a black man, who experienced the painful loss of his mother, and has to deal with the pressure and isolation that is heightened by his bi-polar disorder.
"Those who are close to Kanye know his heart and understand his words some times do not align with his intentions."
Kardashian West then asked for support and empathy for her husband.
"Living with bi-polar disorder does not diminish or invalidate his dreams and his creative ideas, no matter how big or unobtainable they may feel to some," she wrote. That is part of his genius and as we have all witnessed, many of his big dreams have come true.
"We as a society talk about giving grace to the issue of mental health as a whole, however we should also give it to the individuals who are living with it in times when they need it the most. I kindly ask that that media and public give us the compassion and empathy that is needed so that we can get through this. Thank you for those who have expressed concern for Kanye's well being and for your understanding.
West has spoken openly in the past about living with bipolar disorder, including a 2018 interview with talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.
"I think it's important for us to have conversations about mental health," he said. "There's some cases of bipolar where people go low, I'm one that goes high."
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