Mariah Carey Reveals She Has Bipolar Disorder
Posted on Wed Apr 11th, 2018 10:00am PDT By X17 Staff
Mimi's coming clean about her mental health.
Mariah Carey just revealed that she was diagnosed with bipolar II disorder back in 2001 after being hospitalized for a physical and mental breakdown.
"I didn’t want to believe it. Until recently I lived in denial and isolation and in constant fear someone would expose me. It was too heavy a burden to carry and I simply couldn’t do that anymore," she told People.
At first, the songstress thought she just had a sleep problem, but she soon realized it was something more serious.
"But it wasn’t normal insomnia and I wasn’t lying awake counting sheep. I was working and working and working. … It turns out that I was experiencing a form of mania. Eventually I would just hit a wall. I guess my depressive episodes were characterized by having very low energy. I would feel so lonely and sad — even guilty that I wasn’t doing what I needed to be doing for my career," she explained.
After a couple rough years, which included her breakup from fiance James Packer, the chart topper decided to take control of her life.
"I sought and received treatment. I put positive people around me and I got back to doing what I love — writing songs and making music. I’m actually taking medication that seems to be pretty good. It’s not making me feel too tired or sluggish or anything like that. Finding the proper balance is what is most important," she detailed.
Sharing her struggle has been cathartic, too.
“I’m just in a really good place right now, where I’m comfortable discussing my struggles with bipolar II disorder. I’m hopeful we can get to a place where the stigma is lifted from people going through anything alone. It can be incredibly isolating. It does not have to define you and I refuse to allow it to define me or control me," she insisted.
Good for her!