Why Kanye West Refuses To Take Bipolar Medication
Daniel Foster In 2016, Kanye West was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after a psychiatric episode landed him in the hospital, but since then, he’s openly talked about being on and off medications.
The former billionaire, who now goes by Ye, has been both praised and criticized for how he talks about his own mental health but his latest revelation is a concerning insight into why he is against medication.
Kanye West claims he refuses to take medication because he was 'misdiagnosed' with bipolar disorder.
Ye claims he was “mentally misdiagnosed” and forcibly drugged to be turned into a “manageable” celebrity.
He made the claim in a tweet which contain a screenshot of a text with his former personal trainer.
Screenshots of a conversation between Ye and his personal trainer Harley Pasternak, who happens to be Jewish, show a particularly hostile approach to Ye’s mental instability.
“I’m going to help you one of a couple [of] ways…” Pasternak allegedly texted him.
The first option includes a “loving and open conversation” where it seems like Pasternak wants to dive into “fact” and not “some crazy stuff that dumb friend of yours” told him.
The second option, however, was much less accommodating.
“I have you institutionalized again where they medicate the crap out of you, and you go back to Zombieland forever,” Pasternak writes. “Play date with the kids just won’t be the same.”
The message claims that Pasternak had already done it once before — admitted Ye into the hospital by force instead of the rapper going willingly.
“What should be obvious by now is that I was raised to stand for my truth regardless of the consequences,” he claimed in the tweet.
Conflicting reports in 2016 claimed that Ye either admitted himself to the hospital willingly or an altercation in Pasternak’s home led him there.
Ye has spoken openly about his bipolar diagnosis in the past.
In August 2018, Ye appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live and spoke about his bipolar disorder and his decision to write “I hate being Bi-Polar, it's awesome,” on the cover of his album.
During the interview, he seemed accepting of his diagnosis and even embraced the mental illness, saying that it’s important to have “open conversations about mental health.”
Two months later in October 2018, however, he was meeting with former President Donald Trump in the white house and telling him he was “misdiagnosed.”
“I was connected with a neuropsychologist that works with the athletes in the NBA and the NFL, and he looked at my brain," Ye told him. “He said that I actually wasn’t bipolar, I had sleep deprivation.”
In December 2018, Ye openly admitted that he had been off the medication for 6 months and told the New York Times in June that he was “learning how to not be on meds.”
Months later, in May 2019, Ye appears on David Letterman’s Netflix special “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction” and spoke once again about his struggles with bipolar disorder.
“When you’re in this state, you’re hyper-paranoid about everything… Everyone is now an actor. Everything’s a conspiracy,” he told Letterman. “You pretty much don’t trust anyone.”
This idea aligns with a lot of his behavior over the years and recently, with the “fake children” in his home, and the false “Jews control the media” narrative.
His back and forth between taking the medication to subdue his symptoms and not taking the medication in order to be creative are harmful to not only himself but people all around the country as his antisemitic rants have created an unsafe environment for Jewish people.
Isaac Serna-Diez is an Assistant Editor who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics. Since graduating from Rutgers University, he spends most of his free time gaming or playing Quadball. Keep up with his rants about current events on his Twitter.
