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Mariah Carey's secret struggle with bipolar
Mariah Carey made a surprising announcement on Wednesday, telling the world she has bipolar disorder.
Mimi, 48, revealed she was first diagnosed in 2001, after being hospitalised for a physical and mental breakdown, and that she has kept her condition a secret ever since.
“I didn’t want to believe it,” she told People in an emotional interview.
The Always Be My Baby singer said she only sought treatment for her condition recently, after going through an extremely difficult few years.
“Until recently, I lived in denial and isolation and in constant fear someone would expose me,” she said. “It was too heavy a burden to carry, and I simply couldn’t do that anymore.
"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,” she said.
For a long time though, the mum of twits Monroe and Morocco believed she had a severe sleep disorder, detailing nights she spent counting sheep until eventually she hit a "wall".
Now the Hero songstress is in therapy and taking medication for bipolar II disorder, explaining she feels good.
As a whole, bipolar disorder — which used to be known as manic depression but has been changed because of the stigma associated with it — is a brain disorder that can cause someone to have unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out daily tasks, according to the US National Institute of Mental Health.
Mariah isn't alone in her diagnosis, with stars such as Demi Lovato, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Russell Brand also opening up about their experiences with the condition in the past.
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