Mariah Carey opens up honestly about her mental health.
Mariah Carey is one of the most well-known people in the world with a spectacularly successful music career and millions of records sold globally. The singer and actress has built up a sizeable fortune and made a name for herself in the entertainment industry as a top performer.
However, fame and success are not the same as wellbeing. Celebrity lifestyles and hectic schedules can be detrimental to mental health. What steps has Mariah Carey taken to address her present mental health issues?
In the late 1990s (1997), following the success of her album “Butterfly,” Carey’s career was at its height. After divorcing businessman Tommy Mottola, Carey dated Mexican musician Luis Miguel for three years until calling it quits in 2001. Everything seemed to be going perfectly. One of the things that led to the singer’s emotional and physical breakdown was the fact that she was hospitalized for excessive exhaustion.
In the same year, Mariah Carey was identified as having type II bipolar disorder. This particular form of bipolar disease results in both mania episodes and depression-like symptoms. For a long time, Carey kept her illness a secret. In an interview with People magazine in 2018, she first opened up about her battle with the illness, stating that she did not want to carry a stigma that would hurt her career.
Carey deserves praise for having the guts to express her opinion on such a private and personal matter. She requested help, and has since been receiving care. She made an effort to normalize and de-stigmatize mental health issues.
Why people with bipolar disease don’t seek treatment right away
According to the National Institutes of Health, there are four different types of manic-depressive disorder, also known as bipolar disorder. These diseases might cause odd changes in a person’s energy level, disposition, and capacity for typical everyday tasks or activities.
Carey is suffering with type II bipolar disease, which is a milder form of the illness than type I bipolar disorder, which can result in full-blown manic episodes.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, mental illnesses often manifest themselves after the age of 25, while they can sporadically begin in adolescence and very infrequently in childhood. When the first episode occurs, help controlling this disease should be sought, although many people are unwilling to do so because of stigmas.
In her book “Touched By Fire,” psychologist Kay Jamieson claims that some people may not be aware of what is taking place and may even believe that the changes brought on by the illness are normal and offer chances for creativity and productivity.