In tears, rapper Kanye West gave a confused speech to launch his presidential campaign. Psychiatrist Jean-Victor Blanc returns to the bipolar disorder suffered by the famous husband of Kim Kardashian.
Kanye West in tears, saying he wanted his wife to have an abortion when she announced her first pregnancy. It is surely the image that will be the most commented on in the campaign speech of the 43-year-old American rapper. Sunday evening, during his first official meeting for the race for the American presidential election, Kanye West made confused remarks. In an interview with Why Doctor, Jean-Victor Blanc, psychiatrist at Saint-Antoine Hospital in Paris, explains to us how the incongruity of the singer’s speech is a marker of his bipolarity.
Kanye West’s campaign launch videos have gone viral around the world, stunning internet users. As a psychiatrist, what is your reading of the speech of the rapper, candidate for the presidency of the United States?
It is difficult to make a certain diagnosis on the only viewing of videos. Nevertheless, the crying spells and the confusion of speech undoubtedly evoke psychic distress; it is someone who is not well. His attitude is reminiscent of the one he had during one of his concerts, where he had developed behavioral problems and a delusion of persecution in front of the public. At the time, this crisis had led to hospitalization.
Wearing a bulletproof vest, Kanye West burst into tears during his first campaign rally when he yelled how he almost asked Kim Kardashian to abort their daughter, North West.#KanyeWest not going well.pic.twitter.com/rpubT5VkIO
— Antoine Llorca (@antoinellorca) July 20, 2020
Kanye West has been diagnosed with bipolar for four years. What is this psychiatric illness?
Bipolar disorder is a chronic mental illness that can be controlled but cannot be eradicated. It is characterized by the alternation of three phases:
– The manic phase, during which the brain spins at a thousand miles an hour, triggering compulsive shopping, megalomaniac or wacky projects, paranoia, or even a significant reduction in sleep time.
– The depressive phase, which is characterized by the disorders of classic depression (change in appetite, dark thoughts, loss of motivation and decision-making faculties, reduced feeling of pleasure, etc.)
– The euthymic phase, where all is well.
How is this illness different from depression?
The big difference between bipolarity and depression is the presence of manic phases in bipolar people.
Kanye West has long claimed not to treat himself. Concretely, what is the risk?
The less a patient treats himself, the more the risk of decompensation increases. During a depressive phase, the patient can isolate himself socially, or miss out on career opportunities, for example. But the biggest consequences of the disease result from the manic phases, during which the patient can accuse his entourage of anything and everything, no longer be aware of the risks of everyday life, forget his pathology, act strangely in public, spend all his money… The social and professional consequences can be disastrous.
Following his speech, the singer accused his wife Kim Kardashian of wanting to intern him. Concretely, what can loved ones do when faced with a bipolar who is having a depressive or manic crisis?
In France, the best thing to do is to take the patient to the psychiatric emergency room, so that he can be assessed, treated and put in contact with his relatives and his care team. For example, I have the contact of relatives of my bipolar patients, whom I can activate if I see that it is necessary. Relatives of my patients can also call me in case of problems. The earlier the manic or depressive phase is taken, the less the treatments and their duration will be heavy. Hospitalizations are far from systematic in the event of a crisis.
A good strategy also consists in informing the patient that his phase resembles the previous ones, so that he can regain consciousness of his pathology. For example, you can say:Remember, at the time, you had lost your job…”.
In the longer term, I invite patients to do psycho-education, which allows them to better understand their disease, and therefore to react better in the event of a crisis.
Is bipolar disorder compatible with political responsibilities?
Absolutely, provided that the person is followed and treated. A bipolar person who is being cured lives normally. There are many examples of famous people who suffer or have suffered from bipolarity: Winston Churchill, Mariah Carey, Gérard Garouste… No job (banker, doctor, artist…) is contraindicated for bipolar people, having a professional activity even stabilizes the sick. Moreover, many make fun or criticize Kanye West following his political speech, but we can remember that he has just become a billionaire, so he has led his boat rather well so far.
What is the impact of bipolarity?
Bipolar disorder affects approximately 2% of the French population.
Jean-Victor Blanc is a psychiatrist, author of “Pop et psy” published in 2019 by Plon editions. He also hosts conferences on mental illnesses, which will resume in September 2020.
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