Kanye West’s recent outbursts were first seen as attempts to seek attention and stir up drama. A few days after an extremely unpredictable rant at one of his shows, he was hospitalized and placed under psychiatric watch.
It became evident that his supposed attention seeking was more of a cry for help.
West’s mother died in 2007, and ever since, he has been on a downward spiral. In an interview last year with US Weekly, West admitted that he blames himself for his mother’s death.
No one can carry a burden like that and have the mental strength to carry around the weight of stardom. Even without the death of someone so close, stardom can be a complicated and fragile thing to understand.
Life is hard as is. Imagine living under a microscope, being scrutinized at every wrong turn.
West is a talented international superstar, but that doesn’t mean he’s immune to human emotion or resistant to mental illness. In fact, many celebrities have been open about their struggles with mental health, including Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Kid Cudi and Eminem.
In some cases, the weight of stardom paired with poor mental health can result in drug abuse, alcohol abuse or even suicide. It’s proof that money doesn’t equal happiness.
Fame is more than just taking pictures, wearing fancy clothes and driving fancy cars. It’s being photographed at unwanted times and not being able to do anything about it. It’s being judged for doing normal things like reacting to a bad breakup or gaining weight. It’s being called an attention-seeker for showing emotion.
After it was revealed that West had been taken to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, he was still ridiculed on social media, and it’s not hard to understand why.
We live in a society where one in five people experience mental illness, but it’s brushed off. The mentally ill are told to grow up, get over it or just be happy. I doubt that if people knew the severity of mental illness, they’d be cracking jokes on Twitter.
Mental illness is a disability. When you downplay mental illness or make fun of someone who is working on their mental health, you’re no better than a person mocking someone with a physical disability.
The severity of West’s mental health has been portrayed in the media as a pop culture scandal and celebrity gossip, but the media should encourage people to understand mental illness rather than troll about it online.
West has been released from the hospital but I hope he will continue to take care of himself and get the help he needs. He’s a husband, a father, a friend and a public figure that many look up to, and his life is valued, whether he’s famous or not.
Brianna Rhymes is a 19-year-old mass communication sophomore from New Iberia, Louisiana.